Love On A Leash
by Atsureki
Summary: AU! Be aware of slavery, abuse and such. For eight years Ken's been a slave and his life has been hell. But when he finds himself owned by Ran could the hell turn into something else or is it too late?
1. A Reluctant Owner

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: None so far actually /shrugs/ But since I'm writing this that'll change 

Warnings: AU, OCC, Angst, Rape (nothing real graphic but it is there none the less), Abuse, Slavery. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

Okay I only write angst but this is a very dark fic, very unlike the others I've done so far. Watch out for rape and stuff. I don't like that sort of thing but well this idea came to me and I just couldn't keep it from being written.

Chapter 1. A Reluctant Owner

Fujimiya Ran, known to most people as Aya, was not a very nice person. He was cold, callous and sometimes down right nasty. Not that he cared what others thought about him. Ran didn't give a shit about anything or at least that was the facade he put up for others to see. He muttered sourly to himself as he sat up on the edge of his bed. It was still too early to be awake but he felt like crap. Gently he rubbed his forehead and grunted. The redhead didn't drink much but that was something he obviously had changed the previous night since he was suffering from a hangover from hell. Shuddering in disgust he rose to his feet and swayed.  
  


"Kuso," he growled to himself and tried to catch his balance. The bedroom was pitch black but he knew his way around well enough. Carefully he made his way towards the bathroom and was to say the least surprised when he stumbled over something and fell flat on his face. 

"What the hell?" The redhead staggered back to his feet and fumbled around to get the lights turned on. There wasn't supposed to be anything he could trip over on the floor. Cursing to himself he flipped the switch and the room bathed in light. Lightning bolts of pain cut through his head as the sharp light blinded him. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples. 

After a few moments he opened them again and squinted at the spot where he had fallen. Amethyst eyes widened in surprise. In the middle of the room sat a naked man on his knees. His head was lowered so much that Ran couldn't see his face but there was something vaguely familiar about the mop of brown hair. 

"Who the hell are you?" he asked coldly and stalked closer. No answer. The man didn't move a muscle as Ran's narrowed eyes ran over his body. There was barely an inch of skin that was unharmed and the sight made him wince. Someone had beaten, cut and by the looks of it burnt the man with cigarettes. It wasn't until his eyes landed on the collar around the stranger's neck that Ran realized that the man was a slave. 

"Who are you?" he tried again. The slave didn't reply that time either. Annoyed the redhead walked around him and saw a piece of paper in his lap. Muttering he bent over and snatched it away.

_I'll never play poker with you again Fujimiya! I hope you enjoy the slave you won, he was the best one I had. Have fun playing with him. I've taken the liberty of registering him in your name._

_Kase_

Kase? Who the hell was that? Ran thought for a while before he remembered. He had played cards with some men he didn't know the previous night. That Kase person had to be one of them, but he had no memory of winning any slave. The redhead sighed inside. He had never owned one and didn't want to either. The whole slave business made his skin crawl. It had been legal to own and sell slaves for about ten years and the business was huge. As crimes got worse and the prisons fuller some people had come up with the wonderful idea of bringing back slavery. 

Instead of serving time locked up they simply took away the convicts freedom by turning them into slaves. But it hadn't stopped there. Parents sold their children to make money and sometimes people just disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. Most of them ended up on the market as slaves. As an owner of one you had the right to do whatever you wanted with them as long as you didn't kill them. Ran frowned deeply and stared at the brunette.  
  


"Get up!" he ordered harshly. The slave winced and slowly rose to his feet but he didn't raise his head. 

"What's your name?" No answer. _What the hell am I suppose to do with him?_ the redhead sighed inside. His slave seemed to be just a few years younger than him. Ran scanned the naked body and growled when his eyes landed on a small mark on the slaves left hip. The little sign meant that the man had been branded a slave, most likely sold by his parents or simply stolen from a normal life. 

"Can you talk?" The slave hesitated for a moment before he nodded. 

"Well then, what's your name?" The brunette lifted his head slightly.  
  


"K… Ken," he croaked out hoarsely. Ken had the biggest and brownest eyes Ran had ever seen in his life. The redhead scowled and pulled his eyes from the naked man.  
  


"Go take a shower and put some clothes on!" His harsh order made the slave flinch and the brown eyes were shadowed with fear, but he obediently started limping towards the bathroom. Muttering curses underneath his breath the redhead picked up the phone to call for a doctor. Slave or not Ken needed to be checked out. After having arranged for a doctor to come over Ran headed for the kitchen. He seriously needed something for his headache.

//

When Ran returned to the bedroom he found Ken sitting on the very same spot on the floor again. The slave had obviously showered since his hair was still damp but he hadn't put on any clothes. Sighing the redhead approached the young man.  
  


"Why aren't you dressed?" Ken winced at the sound of the cold voice.  
  


"I… I don't have any clothes to wear," the slave mumbled and cowered before his new owner. Ran shook his head. Normally he liked the way people were afraid of him but he didn't like the idea of Ken thinking he would hurt him. Cold and impassive as Ran could be he wasn't one to physically hurt people, unless they really deserved it. Slowly the redhead took out a pair of boxers, sweatpants and a shirt and walked back to the slave.  
  


"Here, put these on," he said and tried to make his deep voice sound a little less harsh. Ken took the clothes but made no attempt to rise. "You're going to have to get up." Trembling the brunette got to his feet and started dressing. 

The pants were too long and the shirt too big but at least he wasn't naked anymore. As soon as Ken was dressed he sank back down on his knees. The room became quiet until the sound of the doorbell cut through the air. Ran headed for the door after taking another look at the slave. What was he suppose to do with Ken? He didn't want a slave, especially not one that was so scared and beaten. Muttering to himself he opened the door and let the doctor in.  
  


"So what's the problem Fujimiya-san?" the plump man asked with annoyance. Ran decided not to answer just yet and lead the doctor to the bedroom.  
  


"He is," the redhead said and nodded towards the slave who was sitting on the floor. "Get up." His order was obeyed at once.   
  


"What am I suppose to do with him? He's a slave!" Ran rolled his eyes.  
  


"I don't care what you do with him as long as you examine him!" The doctor grunted.  
  


"Well then boy," he muttered to the slave. "Get undressed!" Ran frowned. He did not want to stay for that! Ken obediently started taking his clothes off.  
  


"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," the redhead muttered and hurried out from the bedroom. If he hadn't been in such a rush he would have noticed the hungry look in the doctors eyes. But he was too occupied with his problem of having to find someone to take Ken off his hands. 

Most slave-owners weren't very nice and Ran wasn't too keen on sending the brunette to be mistreated, again. He sank down on a chair in the kitchen and poured himself some tea. So far he hadn't gotten a clue to just what type of slave Ken was and he had a hunch he didn't want to know either. His parents had never kept slaves and Ran wasn't social enough to be familiar with the business. The only one he knew who owned a slave was his cousin. Maybe he should call him? 

The redhead had just finished his second cup of tea when he heard a strange sound from his bedroom. Scowling Ran rose to see what was going on. He walked into the bedroom and froze completely before his whole body started shaking in anger and disgust. The doctor had Ken pressed down on his stomach across a table. His fingers viciously digging into the soft skin of the slave's hips as he violently raped the brunette.  
  


"Get away from him you sick fuck!" the redhead roared and pulled the disgusting man away from Ken. "You have five second to get out of here before I kill you!" The look in Ran's violet eyes was one of pure hate. The doctor pulled his pants up and ran for his life. 

Trembling with anger the redhead turned to the slave again. Ken hadn't moved but his body was shaking badly. Ran swallowed. What was he suppose to do now? Why hadn't Ken called for help? The slave was bleeding and had a set of new bruises forming on his hips. Carefully the redhead placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder and shuddered inside when the slave flinched from the touch. 

"Ken?" A pair of tear-filled brown eyes looked at him. The redhead might be cold, callous and sometimes mean but he wasn't heartless and what he just had seen made his heart ache "I'm sorry," Ran mumbled and helped the young man to his feet. He felt so guilty and knew that he should have stayed with the brunette instead of just leaving him at the hands of that perverted doctor. _Now what?_ the redhead asked himself. 

He still needed to get Ken examined but not by another man who would take the slave as someone who was up for grabs. Frowning he picked up the phone and dialled a number. This time he would demand a female doctor and he would stay to watch so that nothing more happened to the poor brunette. Ken was still shaking and tears kept on running down his smooth, bruised cheeks.

TBC

I'm being a real bastard here I know I know. This fic is very much AU. I'm not sure where this is going but I like the idea and will write on it when I have time. Ideas for Weiss-fic keep popping up in my head like weeds and I just can't stop myself from writing them down /grr/ Anyways, if you want more please tell me what you thought of this. 

Oh and I also know that Ran is probably acting very strange here but oh well it's AU so he's a bit different than in the anime etc. And please don't kill me for what I did to poor Kenken. /hides under her bed/ Ja/Atsureki


	2. Not Like The Others

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Mildly implying Ran/Ken /hehe/

Warnings: AU, Very, very, very mild Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

Chapter 2. Not Like The Others

Ken was hurting badly and he was confused. His former owners had never cared what happened to him or who did what to him. But this redhead had stopped the man how had raped him and he had been furious. Why he had done that the brunette had no idea though but he didn't trust his new owner, he had been a slave since he was 11 so he knew better. People would pretend to be kind just to use him later. Kase had been that way. 

Ken shuddered at the memory of his former owner. At first Kase had been kind and sweet but then he changed completely. The brunette had never been owned by anyone so cruel before. The man who had lost him to the redhead had taken pleasure in hurting him, beating him, burning him, raping him and even more so in letting others do those thing to him while Kase watched. A part of Ken was thankful that the redhead had taken his place as his owner but only time would tell if this would be better or worse.  
  


"I've called another doctor and she'll be here soon but I think we need to clean you up first," the redhead said. He really had a beautiful voice, a deep but smooth baritone. Ken carefully squinted at him and shuddered again. Was this man going to turn out to be just as cruel and sadistic as Kase? 

"Ken, I won't hurt you and I won't let anyone else hurt you either." The voice was soft now but the brunette wasn't fooled so easily, he had heard those words before and they had always led to him suffering in one way or another. 

"Can you walk?" Ken took a step to see if he could and felt his knees give in. Quickly his new owner was there and kept him on his feet. Was he going to get a beating for being clumsy? The slave flinched and tried to get away but the redhead's strong arms held him still. 

"Don't worry I'll carry you instead, okay?" Too weak to struggle Ken felt himself being picked up and gently held close to a warm chest. The redhead carried him into the bathroom and carefully put him down on the floor but he didn't let go. 

He was placed in the shower where he had been only an hour ago. Gently his new owner washed him, taking extra care so that he didn't hurt his abused body. When he was clean again the redhead wrapped a towel around him and carried him back to the bedroom. But instead of putting him down on the floor he laid him on the bed. 

"Try to get some rest before the doctor gets here." Ken stared. He just didn't get this. His owner didn't even seem to care that he was making the bed wet. The redhead put a blanket over him and left. Tired and still in a lot of pain the slave fell asleep.

//

Ran checked on the brunette and smiled a little when he found him sound asleep. The slave was beautiful when his face didn't shine with fear and submission. Ran raised an eyebrow. Nice, he was checking Ken out already? He shook his head and went to call his cousin to see if he couldn't find someone who could take care of the brunette. His cousin wasn't someone he like a whole lot, mostly due to his personality, but he knew his way around. It rang for a long time before a sleepy voice answered.

"Kudou, who the hell is this?"

"Aya here," Ran muttered and rolled his eyes. His cousin was not a morning person.

"Ah cousin Aya. Why the hell are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

"I have a problem Yoji, one I think you can help me with." That should get his attention.

"The great Fujimiya has a problem? Well I'll be damned! So what can the Kudou do for you?" Yoji asked with amusement.

"I won a slave last night when I played poker and well I don't know what to do with him," Ran explained.

"I never thought I live to see that day when you owned a slave," the man chuckled and the redhead heard how he lit a cigarette. "What do you mean, 'I don't know what to do with him'?"

"I don't want him," Ran said flatly. "I need you to find someone who'll take him off my hands."

"Hm, what kind of slave are we talking about? What does he do?" Yoji asked thoughtfully.

"How should I know? He doesn't talk a lot and I didn't ask him."

"Okay, let's see if we can't figure this out then… Is he tall, short, thin, fat, what does he look like?" Ran grumbled.

"He's a little shorter than me, toned, tanned, brown hair and eyes, bruised, beaten and scared shitless," the redhead growled coldly. At that Yoji sighed deeply.

"Ah, he's probably a bed-slave then." Ran narrowed his eyes. What the hell did that mean?

"A what?"

"A bed-slave! Christ Fujimiya you have to know what that is," his cousin muttered.

"You know I've never had anything to do with slaves," the redhead said blandly and was rather fed up with the conversation.

"Aya, a bed-slave is someone you buy to fuck, beat up. Owners use them as they see fit," Yoji snorted, disgust plain in his voice. "They're usually treated worse than dogs and most of them don't last all that long." Ran was lost for words. That still didn't explain why Ken hadn't called for help when the doctor had raped him though. "Hey Aya are you sure you can't just keep him? I mean don't get me wrong here I don't like bed-slaves but… Well you could use some company." The redhead scowled.

"Kudou! He's a not exactly my type! Besides, I don't force myself on others anymore than you do!" Ran spat out, anger evident in his hard voice.

"Yeah, yeah calm down. I'll check around but I don't think I can find anyone who would treat him very good."

"Well try, I'm not sending him to another bastard!" Ran said harshly and hung up. He returned to the bedroom and looked at the brunette. "What the hell am I suppose to do with you?" he sighed.

//

The female doctor that showed up was short, cute and obviously didn't like Ran. She took one look at Ken and her brown eyes narrowed in anger. The redhead understood that she thought he was the one who had caused all those injuries but didn't say anything. He stubbornly stayed in the bedroom while she examined the slave, at least until she more or less pushed him outside. It took a long time before she was done.

"Well Fujimiya-san," she said harshly and crossed her arms.

"Is he going to be alright Doctor Ono?" A neatly plucked eyebrow rose at the question.

"He has several cracked rips, a twisted ankle, burns, bruises, cuts, infections and he has been raped repeatedly… But, he should be fine if he's left alone to heal," the doctor muttered. "Keep him in bed, make sure he eats and takes his medications." Ran nodded and sighed inside. For a moment Ono's eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry for being rude earlier but I just can't stand seeing a human being treated so badly."

"I didn't…" the redhead started but was interrupted.

"I know you didn't do that to him, he indicated as much. Take care of him Fujimiya-san he's been living in hell for too long. If it was up to me this whole slave-business would be banned from earth!" Ran frowned and nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else?"

"I don't know why you bought him but if it was for your pleasure I suggest you find yourself another slave, he's not going to be doing those things for quite some time." Ran narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't buy him! He'll stay here until he is well and then I'll see if I can't find someone to… to take care of him," he muttered coldly.

"Yes that would be just perfect," Ono said with sarcasm. "Patch him up and send him to some other bastard who will put him back in the state he is in now. Fujimiya-san, what his former owner did to him is common. A sane person doesn't buy a slave to have in his bed and treat him good." She shook her head sadly and left. Ran frowned deeply and headed back to the bedroom to check on Ken. 

Ono was probably telling the truth, which meant that he was pretty much stuck with the brunette. There was no way he would allow anyone to hurt that slave again! Quietly he opened the door and took a peek. Ken was asleep again, tucked in under the soft quilt on the bed. Ran sighed deeply. Oh well, how bad could it be to own one slave? It wasn't like it was going to kill him, right? By keeping Ken he would at least be able to make sure the brunette was safe and unharmed.

TBC

I just picked Kase as Ken's former owner at random. The guy is a major creep so he fitted ne? Anyways, looks like Ran's going to keep Kenken but what is he to do with him? We'll have to wait and see. /S/ And again I am sorry for the crude things that are mentioned in here. Oh and I know it's far fetched to make Yoji Ran's cousin but I wanted them all in this story, which of course means that Omi will show up too /G/ Anyone dare to guess where we'll find him? /hehe/ Ja/Atsureki


	3. A Slave's Confusion

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Implying Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Mild Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

Chapter 3. A Slave's Confusion

With each day that went by Ken grew more and more confused. His new owner took care of him, fed him, dressed his wounds even fussed over him and he had allowed him to remain in the redhead's own bed. The brunette just didn't understand. He was a slave, not by choice of course but that was the lot in life he had been given, so his owner shouldn't treat him like that. 

Carefully he squinted at his owner and frowned slightly. Of all the people who had owned him the past 8 years no one had been as beautiful as the silent redhead. He had demanded that Ken called him by his first name, Aya, which was even more confusing. Normally he'd either call his owner Master or nothing at all since most of them didn't want him to speak. 

Aya had taken his collar away and said that he would get a new one since the buckle was cutting into the sensitive skin on Ken's neck. The brunette had wanted to object but he had learnt the hard way that talking back to his owner only lead to pain and suffering. It was against the law for a slave not to wear a collar and the tag attached to it. 

The rules of keeping slaves were much the same as the ones concerning dogs. They had to wear a collar with its owner's name and the slave's ID-number on it. An owner had to pay a license and be registered as its owner. There were differences though, you weren't allowed to beat a dog, or mistreat it but there were no such laws when it came to slaves. 

Ken pulled his eyes away from Aya and closed them. He was afraid of the redhead, not in the way he had feared his other owners but just the same afraid. Aya made him unsure. There didn't seem to be any rules, at least none that he could make out which meant that he had no way of knowing when he did something wrong. His new owner was dangerous simply because he acted all wrong. The brunette sighed to himself. He was cold and thirsty but he would have to wait until Aya noticed that and took pity on him. Shivering he tried to go back to sleep.

//

Ran muttered to himself as he put down the phone. His uncle was such a pigheaded old fart it made his blood boil. If his parents and sister just hadn't died. Exhausted the redhead turned around and set his amethyst gaze on his slave. He would never admit it to anyone but he actually liked taking care of Ken. It felt pretty good to have someone to care about again. Ran huffed at himself and the line of thinking he was following. 

He walked a little closer and frowned when he saw how the brunette was trembling. Carefully he studied the slave's face and the frown deepened. Ken's lips were turning blue.  
  


"You're freezing," he stated flatly and grabbed a blanket from a chair near the bed. "Why didn't you say something?" Brown eyes opened slightly but avoided meeting his. "Ken? Is there anything else you're not telling me?" The brunette swallowed and squirmed slightly. "Ken!" His voice made the slave flinch. It was like that every time. As soon as his voice grew a little hard, cold or angry Ken would act like he was about to receive a punch. The redhead rubbed his temples and tried again. "Ken, if there's something you need or want you have to let me know." The brunette opened his mouth and closed it a few times.  
  


"Water?" he asked with pleading. Ran nodded, poured a glass and gently placed it in Ken's hands. He watched as the water was gulped down and then took the glass back.  
  


"More?" The brunette shook his head. For a while he just looked at the slave. "Why didn't you call for me?" Ran suddenly asked. Ken glanced at him with confusion. "When that man was… hurting you… why didn't you call for me? I wouldn't have let him hurt you." He just had to ask because he couldn't understand why Ken hadn't asked for help.  
  


"You… you…" the brunette stuttered with hesitation. "You gave him permission." Ran stared in disbelief. When the hell had he given that doctor permission to rape Ken? He pondered for a while until he remembered what he had said. '_I don't care what you do with him as long as you examine him!_' The redhead growled at his own words. How could he have been so damn stupid?! Of course that twisted bastard had taken it as an invitation and the brunette thought he didn't care. Angry with himself Ran forced Ken to meet his eyes.  
  


"Listen! If anyone ever so much as lays a hand on you again you tell me! I don't care if you have to scream my name from the top of your lungs! No one and I mean NO ONE is allowed to touch you unless I clearly state otherwise, is that understood?!" Brown eyes stared at him with fear but the slave nodded. The redhead calmed himself down, he was scaring Ken again. 

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you Ken. You've probably heard that many times before but I really mean it. I'm not sure what your former owners have been forcing you to do but it's not what you'll be doing for me." Ken was still staring at him but now his eyes shone with confusion.

//

The silent redhead didn't want him in his bed? He wasn't going to rape him, hit him or let others use him? Ken sighed to himself. Who was this strange man? A part of him was even slightly disappointed at the redhead's statement. Not about the part that he was safe from being raped and abused of course but the one that he wasn't going to be allowed to stay in his owner's bed. He was still scared of Aya but he wanted to sleep in those arms that so gently carried him to the bathroom and held him up while he showered. 

Being a slave meant that he had no security, no rights and no one who took care of him, but Ken wanted and needed that so badly. It was something he couldn't ask for though. As soon as he was well enough Aya would put him back where he belonged, somewhere beneath a pet and slightly above a cockroach. No matter how kind that man could seem to be Ken was still a slave and as such he could never move up to be someone who was loved and cared for. 

Life wasn't fair, if it had been then the brunette's father would never have sold him, stripped him of everything that made him worthy of being called a human. His first owner had taught him what was allowed and what wasn't, how he was suppose to act and obey every order given to him. Luckily enough for Ken he had been a very thin and gangly boy so no one had been interested in his body, but that luck last. 

When he hit puberty his body had changed. Hard work built up his muscles, his face lost its childlike features and then he was doomed. By then he had been sold twice and his third owner had been the first one to take him, use him, abuse him, rape him. The brunette shuddered from the memories of the pain. He had screamed, cried, begged and pleaded but no one had listened to him. 

After having received beatings every single time he expressed his pain Ken had learnt to keep as quiet as possible no matter how much he hurt and suffered. So he cried in silence while unknown or known men tore him apart from the inside out, hit him, cut him and burnt him. Usually the wounds were shallow since scars made him worth less money but he did have a few marks on his body to bare witness to how cruel life had treated him. 

The only thing that said anything about him being the cheerful 11 year old who had been sold by his father was his brown hair and eyes. But those eyes didn't shine with playfulness and laughter anymore; that had been replaced with fear, sadness and submission.

//

It took almost a month for Ken to recover and then Aya allowed him to get up. He still didn't ask the slave to do anything and he continued to keep the brunette in bed most of the time. It was a Saturday when Ken was given his first order to do something that was work. 

Obediently the slave sat by a large desk and arranged files in alphabetical order. The brunette was confused, this was not something he normally did but he wasn't about to complain. He finished quickly and then returned to the redhead's bedroom where he sunk down on his knees to await his next order. His stomach grumbled since he hadn't eaten all day but he remained kneeling without moving a muscle. Aya walked into the bedroom almost an hour later.  
  


"You done?" Ken lowered his head.  
  


"Yes, Aya-sama," he answered respectfully and flinched when his stomach again reminded him about his hunger. So far the redhead hadn't punished him but now he was surely going to get beaten.  
  


"Why haven't you eaten?" Ken licked his lips and darted his eyes back and forth. "Listen, if you're hungry then eat." The brunette didn't know what to say, he wasn't supposed to eat unless given food. "Ken, do you use the bathroom when you need to?" He winced in fear because he had taken for granted that he was allowed to do that.  
  


"Yes Master." He was so going to get it now.  
  


"Aya! My name is Aya not Master! And I am thankful that you at least go to the toilet when you need to," his owner sighed. "Now, go to the kitchen and eat something." 

Obediently Ken rose and backed out of the room heading for the small kitchen. Shaking he picked up an apple and started eating. When his owner joined him he immediately sunk down on his knees. 

"Would you stop doing that!?" Aya snapped with irritation. Ken hugged the half eaten apple in his hand and cowered. "Ken, please stand up." He got up but kept his head lowered. The redhead walked up to him, standing so close that the slave could hear him breathe. "Look at me." Ken reluctantly raised his head. He wasn't supposed to look at his owner. "Ken, look at me." It was said softly and when he tried to lower his eyes again a warm hand cupped his chin.

//

Ran gently touched the brunette's chin. He was so warm and soft but he was trembling. Why was Ken so afraid of him? The redhead sighed but he couldn't convince himself to remove his hand. He wanted to touch Ken, feel that warm body. Annoyed about his lust he finally managed to convince himself to let his hand fall.  
  


"I've put some clothes on the bed, put them on we have to go and do some shopping. My clothes don't fit you." Ken lowered his face again.  
  


"Yes Aya-sama." The redhead winced. He hated being called that, it sounded like he was some sort of God or something.  
  


"Well, go on then." The slave left the room quickly still hugging his apple. 

Aya scowled at himself and sat down on a chair. He was attracted to the brunette and that was something he would have to fight against. The problem wasn't that Ken was a man, genders had never meant anything to the redhead, but Ken was a slave and judging from what Yoji had said he was used to being forced to do just about anything. Aya felt no shame for lusting after the brunette but he knew that if he allowed it to be seen what he wanted Ken would most likely submit to it. 

He didn't want that, he didn't want to be satisfied because that was what the slightly shorter man was supposed to do. No, if anything was going to happen between them it would be because they both wanted it. The redhead cursed to himself. That would never happen because his slave was scared half to death of him.

//

Ken quickly put on the clothes his owner had put out for him while he chewed his lip. When Aya had touched him in the kitchen he had been looking straight in those amethyst eyes. There had been desire, hunger in them so why hadn't the redhead taken him? He just didn't understand. That was what he was there for, wasn't it? Sure, Aya had said that he wouldn't be doing those things but those promises never lasted very long. 

He was a bed-slave and he had been one for 5 years so he was well aware of what he was suppose to do. Shut up and put up, was pretty much his job but his owner hadn't given an order for him to strip. _What does he want from me?_ Ken asked himself. _Why doesn't he just… take me like all the others?_ Confused and tired he sank down on his knees to wait for the redhead's orders.

TBC

Poor Ken all confused and scared. Aya better treat him nice /glares at the redhead/ Now tell me what you think about this, ne? Ja/Atsureki


	4. Seeking Shelter

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Implying Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Mild Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

Chapter 4. Seeking Shelter

He was nervous, very nervous. His owner was ready to go but he had forgotten about Ken's collar. The brunette bit his lip and stared at the floor. He couldn't go out without it, it was against the law and besides, a slave with no collar was up for grabs. But he couldn't say anything, he wasn't allowed to. Anxiously he shifted his weight from one foot to the other praying that Aya would notice it and ask what was wrong.  
  


"Put your shoes on," the deep smooth voice said but Ken didn't move. He might be scared of his owner but he didn't want to be taken away from him. So far he hadn't been hurt there, at least not by the redhead. "Is something wrong?" The brunette sighed. Finally he asked.  
  


"M… my collar," he stammered and glued his eyes to the floor.  
  


"What about it?" Ken didn't answer, didn't know how to explain. "It's on the table." Relieved the slave looked up and saw his collar. He grabbed it and quickly secured it around his neck. "You can't wear that I haven't had time to get it fixed yet," Aya objected. That was rather obvious since the buckle still cut into his skin but it didn't matter as long as he a collar to wear.  
  


"I… I don't mind."  
  


"Mind? Ken it's hurting you, take it off," Aya said firmly. The slave's hands twitched but he didn't remove the collar. "I said, take it off!" The voice was hard and annoyed now. Ken cowered. He was going to get beaten for this but that option was better than taking off the collar.  
  


"I… I… c… can't," he squeaked out and sank down on the floor to at least protect some parts of his body. To his surprise nothing happened.  
  


"Can't? Why not?" Ken glanced up in confusion and widened his eyes when he saw the look on his owner's face. Aya wasn't angry he just looked… perplexed.  
  


"It's… against the law."  
  


"Damn! I forgot, thanks for reminding me," the redhead muttered. "I'm gonna have to ask my cousin for some help. I have no idea of how this works." Ken stared. "Listen we'll get you a new collar okay? One that doesn't hurt you. Is that alright with you?" The slave was lost in utter and complete confusion but he managed to nod. "Good, now put on your shoes and let's go."

//

Ran decided against taking his car, since it was Saturday and the traffic would be awful, which meant that they would have to take the subway. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he saw Ken walking two steps behind him with his head lowered to the ground. Of course the brunette was acting like a slave should but it was humiliating. Ken was human being and there he was following his master like some damn collie. 

Actually Ran should have him on a leash but that was something he just refused to be any part of. To hell with laws, there was no way that Fujimiya Ran would walk around with an adult man on a leash! Huffing to himself he made a turn and soon they reached the stairs that would lead them down to the subway station. The place was packed so the redhead stopped to allow Ken to catch up.  
  


"Stay close to me, okay?" The slave nodded and seemed to be very uncomfortable with the situation. 

They started walking again and Ran had to use his strength to push through the mass of humans that surrounded them. Annoyed he elbowed a young man in the side to be able to move forward. The redhead suddenly stopped and tilted his head. He could have sworn he had heard his name. Slowly he turned around and frowned deeply when he noticed that Ken wasn't there anymore. Worried he searched the station but there were too many people.  
  


"Aya!" That time he was sure. Ken was calling his name. Quickly he started pushing his way towards the sound. His sharp eyes caught a flash of his slave and he started moving even faster. "Aya, help me," Ken begged as two men kept on pulling him backwards. The biggest one of them gave the brunette a punch in the side and covered his mouth with a large hand. Ran snarled and finally managed to catch up to them.  
  


"Let him go," he said coldly and reached out his hand to Ken. "NOW!"  
  


"I don't think so rich kid. Buy yourself a new slave. I like this one, he's pretty." The redhead corrected his long black leather coat and smiled dangerously.  
  


"I like him too so I suggest you get your filthy hands off him before I get angry. You won't like it if I do," Ran said quietly with his violet eyes dark and deadly.  
  


"I'm not afraid of you. We're bigger and there's two of us," the large man sneered.  
  


"Well then…" The redhead dashed forward and buried his fist in the man's face. His grip on Ken loosened slightly and the slave got free. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ran warned the second man who was approaching him. "Now you two run along, shoo."  
  


"Thank you," the brunette almost whispered and hung his head.  
  


"You okay? Did they hurt you?" The redhead calmed himself down. They had almost gotten Ken; he had almost lost Ken.  
  


"I'm okay."  
  


"Good. We have to get out of here. Just hang on to me Ken and don't let go." To Ran's surprise the slave grabbed his hand tightly. That wasn't exactly what he had meant but what the hell. He could feel the brunette tremble so he hugged the hand in his a few times to calm him down. After more pushing and shoving they finally stepped onto the train.

//

Carefully Ken glanced up and looked at his owner. Aya had saved him again and he was holding his hand, gently squeezing it every now and then. It felt so safe. Sighing quietly the brunette tried to calm himself down. He had been so scared when those two men had grabbed him. People kept on pushing him back and forth almost making him lose the grip he had on his owner's hand. He didn't want to let go; he didn't want to lose Aya. He had never felt safe with any of his other owners so he was damn well going to cling to this one. Amethyst eyes looked at him and narrowed when he again was shoved to the side.  
  


"Come here," the redhead said softly and pulled Ken close. Trembling the slave pressed himself against the tall firm body, seeking shelter and protection. "Calm down Ken no one is going to hurt you. Just stay close to me." A strong arm was placed around his shoulders and held him. 

It had to be a dream. And if it was then Ken would enjoy it while it lasted so he hid his face against the soft leather of his owner's coat and grabbed it with both hands just to make sure he didn't vanish. He didn't fully trust Aya, not yet, and he knew  that the redhead still could turn out to be some sadistic bastard who wanted to cause him nothing but pain but he seriously doubted it. 

For now he was going to allow himself to cherish everything his owner was willing to give him, no matter how trivial it might seem. Feeling content and safe Ken closed his eyes and relaxed.

//

Ran was stunned by himself. He had Ken pressed up against him and he couldn't convince himself to do anything other than enjoy it. The slave had stopped trembling and his breathing was calm again. It was getting dangerous, he knew that, but he just didn't understand how he could develop that kind of caring for a complete stranger so fast? Ran wasn't that kind of person, not anymore. 

He let out a puff of air and rested his chin against Ken's soft hair. To hell with it all! He was going to protect this man with all he had. The redhead couldn't even begin to understand what it must be like to be a slave but he was going to do everything in his powers to make the brunette feel secure again, he just had to. 

He didn't want to see fear in those beautiful chocolate eyed anymore. Gently he ran his fingers through his slave's brown hair and sighed. If he weren't careful he might fall for Ken and he knew that that most likely wouldn't be a good idea, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself. He would have to deal with that if it happened; at the moment he didn't care. Ran shifted his weight slightly and frowned when he heard a low whimper from Ken.  
  


"What's wrong?" he asked with worry in his voice. The slave started trembling again.  
  


"I… just… please…" the brunette stammered and pressed himself closer. Ran felt like crying. Ken was scared he would push him away, that he would take away what safety he was offering. The redhead sighed sadly. He would never do that.  
  


"Sch Ken, I'm not gonna letting go unless you want me to," Ran murmured softly.  
  


"Th… thank you." It took about 20 minutes before the station the train reached the station where they were stepping off.  
  


"Ken, next stop is ours." The brunette nodded and took a step back. "Look at me." Ken look up with hesitation. "Are you up to this? If you rather go back home we can," Aya said softly and made sure his eyes weren't as bland as they usually were.  
  


"I'm okay." A small smile flashed across the redhead's face.  
  


"Good. Take my hand Ken, I don't want to lose track of you again."

//

As soon as they got back out onto the streets again Ken released his owner's hand and fell into place two steps behind. Aya gave him a questioning look but the brunette kept his face lowered. He couldn't allow himself to forget his place no matter how much he wanted to. They entered a shop and Ken obediently stayed slightly behind his owner. A clerk approached the redhead and waited to be noticed. He had to stand there for some time before Aya gave him a bland look.  
  


"May I help you Sir?"  
  


"He needs a new collar," the redhead said with his monotone voice and nodded towards Ken.  
  


"This way Sir. Is there any special kind of collar you're looking for?" Aya frowned slightly.  
  


"What type do you like?" The clerk was just about to answer when he realized that the question wasn't asked to him. "Ken?" The brunette snapped his head up and swallowed. "What kind of collar do you want?" Why was he asking him that?  
  


"Eh… leather," Ken mumbled quietly and lowered his head again.  
  


"Leather it is then," Aya nodded and turned his cold amethyst eyes to the clerk again.  
  


"Hai Sir." The young man handed the redhead a few collars and stepped back.  
  


"These aren't any good. The leather is too hard and the edges too sharp," Aya frowned with dislike and handed them back.  
  


"The leather will soften with time and the edges will wear down." The clerk got a hard look from the tall redhead.  
  


"And until that happens his neck hurts like hell." It was obvious that the clerk didn't understand Aya's concern.  
  


"But he's just a slave Sir." Ken carefully glanced at his owner and saw the anger in his eyes.  
  


"Bring me one that isn't so hard and sharp!" he ordered flatly. The clerk hurried away and soon returned with five new collars.  
  


"Those are the best ones we have Sir," he squeaked. Aya examined the collars and shook his head.  
  


"They're too heavy, hard and too sharp. Ken, give me your collar." Reluctantly the slave handed his black leather collar to his owner. It was old and worn and therefore soft and smooth. "It should feel like this one," the redhead muttered and gave it to the clerk.  
  


"I'm sorry Sir but the new ones are a lot stiffer than this. However I believe we can change the buckle on this one, would that do?"  
  


"What do you say Ken? Do you want a new one or should they just fix the one you already have?" Ken's head was spinning. This man was just confusing him to no end. Why did Aya care if the collar hurt him or not, he was just a slave. Carefully the brunette licked his lips.  
  


"I… I…" He just didn't know how to answer; he wasn't supposed to be asked questions like that.  
  


"Do you want the old one?" Aya asked softly. Ken nodded, again thankful for being spared to really say what he wanted. "Fix it." The clerk bowed, took Ken's collar and disappeared.

//

Ran glared after the clerk with anger. He had really gotten annoyed when that man had said that Ken was just a slave. Ken was a human being, not some damn toy. If he had to wear a collar it would be one that felt comfortable at least. He glanced at the slave who seemed nervous without the soft ring of leather around his neck.  
  


"It's okay Ken, we'll stay in here until you get your collar back." Brown eyes carefully looked up at him and the slave nodded. It didn't take long before the clerk returned.  
  


"There you go Sir." Ran took the collar and handed it to the brunette.  
  


"Is that better? Does it still hurt you?" Ken fastened it around his neck and fiddle with it for a few moments. "So? Better?" He nodded and lowered his eyes to the floor again. Ran paid the clerk and walked out again. It still made him feel uncomfortable that Ken insisted on walking behind him but there was nothing he could do about it. 

Now, all the brunette needed was clothes and Ran wasn't exactly looking forward to buying them. It was so difficult for him to get Ken to tell him what he liked or disliked and he really wanted the slave to feel good about the clothes he would wear. Frowning he turned and walked into a huge store. They had barely taken three steps before a female salesclerk came up to the redhead.  
  


"Good day Sir, how can I help you," she smiled and eyed him up and down. When she got no answer she started to look rather uncertain. "Would you like someone to look after your slave while you shop?" Ran raised an eyebrow. What was with these people?  
  


"No. It's for him I'm shopping," he answered flatly and gave her a cold look.  
  


"Oh…" The redhead ignored her and turned to Ken.  
  


"I want you to go with this woman and tell her exactly what kind of clothes you like. You only have to wear the ones you like, do you understand?" The brunette started to tremble again. "Ken, look at me. Do you want me to go with you?" Frightened brown eyes met his for a brief moment and then the slave nodded. Ran sighed. Ken was so scared but at least he seemed to trust him a little. Together they followed the woman deeper into the store.

TBC

Go Ran!!! /cheers the redhead on/ Aw it's sooooo cute how he protects and cares for Kenken isn't it? /chuckles/ Ah in the next chapter we'll meet Yoji and Omi too /S/ And you'll all find out what Omi is in this fic /hehe/ Ja/Atsureki


	5. Meetings

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Implying Ran/Ken 

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery, there's some sugariness (if you're sensitive) in this chapter so don't puke please /chuckles/. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

One reviewer asked me about names (don't remember who though). You are right I do jump between calling Ran, Aya and Ran but if you look at it, it makes sense, um at least to me. In the parts were we follow Ken or Yoji or Omi he is called Aya because that's who he is to them. (Even though Yoji of course knows that's not his real name, being his cousin and all) But when we follow Ran he's called Ran because he is Ran. (Okay now I'm confusing myself, bah) Ran doesn't see himself as Aya here, he just wants to be called Aya to honour his sister's memory. 

Oh and I know Ran is acting way OOC here but well he needs to or this whole fic is impossible to write. And besides Yoji is his cousin so I just figured he'd open up at least a little to him. Ken is a whole different matter though. In my book Ran is a protective and caring person even though he doesn't usually show it to others and Ken sure as hell needs to be protected and cared for. Okay I've babbled enough now. Go read…

Chapter 5. Meetings

He leaned back and tapped a spoon against his coffee cup. Ken was still uncomfortable and didn't answer any questions unless Ran asked them to him. The redhead sighed deeply and looked over to the little stall where he knew his slave was. It had taken him forever to get the brunette to tell him what type of clothes he liked and it had taken even longer to convince him that nobody was going to hurt him. Ken came out from the stall and immediately scanned the room for his owner. With his head lowered he walked up to Ran and sank to his knees just like he had done every single time he had changed into a new set of clothes.  
  


"Stand up," the redhead sighed softly. Obediently the slave rose to his feet but his eyes remained on the floor. He was dressed in a pair of chinos and a loose sweater, the type of clothes he seemed to prefer. Actually the brunette only seemed to want clothes that hid his well-built body. "You like those?" A tiny nod was the only reply. " Good. Do you want to try on something else?" Ken shook his head and quickly looked up. "What's wrong?" Ran could see something strange in those brown eyes and he didn't like it. The slave shifted his weight back and forth. "Ken, look at me. Tell me what's wrong."  
  


"I… I…" The redhead closed his eyes for a moment. It hurt so much that Ken couldn't tell him what he wanted.  
  


"It's okay just tell me what you want," he said as softly as he could.  
  


"H… home, please?"  
  


"You want to go home?" The slave nodded and lowered his head again. Ran couldn't resist reaching out and gently run his fingers through the soft brown hair. To his surprise Ken didn't flinch back at the sudden touch. "Okay, change your clothes and then we'll go home." The brunette nodded and headed back to the stall. He stopped before he entered though suddenly seeming very tense and nervous. Ran rose and walked up to him. "What's the matter?" His amethyst eyes scanned the store and landed on a familiar face. The slave was shaking like a leaf and his brown eyes were widened with fear. Ran clenched his hands into fists and let out a low growl. "Kase." The brunette whimpered and instinctively moved closer to his owner. "Calm down Ken, he's not going to get anywhere near you."  
  


"He… I… please…" Ken stammered and looked at the redhead with begging eyes filled with tears. Ran had no way of knowing if it really was Kase who had abused the slave so badly but judging from Ken's reaction it sure as hell seemed that way. Gently he wrapped his arms around the shaking form and pressed it close to his body.  
  


"Listen to me Ken. He can't hurt you anymore; I won't let him. You don't have to worry, I'd kill him before I let him hurt you again," the redhead mumbled softly. The slave seemed to calm down a little and Ran felt his hands grab a hold of his shirt. When he looked up Kase was standing in front of him.  
  


"I see you are enjoying your new slave," the man smirked and ran his eyes over the brunette's body.  
  


"What do you want?" Ran asked coldly and manœuvred Ken so that the slave was standing behind him instead.  
  


"Nothing just wanted to see how you're doing with Kenken. He IS a lot of fun isn't he? Best fuck I ever had," Kase laughed and cocked his head to the right. The redhead's whole body stiffened at the crude remark.  
  


"Yes I bet you did enjoy raping him, beating him, cutting him, burning him with cigarettes, you sick bastard! I suggest you get lost right now or so help me God I'll rip your fucking head off! Don't ever so much as look at him again!" The words were spoken with a low, ice-cold voice that dripped with disgust. Kase stared at him.  
  


"Oh shit you're one of those damn 'slave's are humans too' idiots. I should have known. Sooner or later you will crumble and take advantage of his sweet ass too Fujimiya! When you do make sure you order him to give you head and then you can call me and thank me for teaching him that skill," Kase growled and glared at the tall redhead. "He's just a slave, if you don't fuck him he's completely useless." Ken's former owner swirled around and walked away. 

Ran fumed in rage. It took all his self-control not to run after the bastard and rip him apart. Shaking with anger he turned around and looked at the slave. He was trembling and tears were running down his face. It didn't take a whole lot to understand that Ken believed every single word Kase had said.  
  


"Don't you dare listen to him Ken! He's a bastard and you know it!" the redhead growled and saw how Ken flinched at his hard words. It didn't seem to matter what he did he always ended up scaring the brunette and it was killing him inside. "I can't do this anymore. I'm not going to hurt you Ken! Are you ever going to believe me?" Ran left his question hanging as he turned around and stalked off leaving a very confused and scared slave behind.

//

Ken stared after his owner. Aya had left him alone, unprotected. He wanted to call out for the redhead but he couldn't even breathe properly. Frightened brown eyes darted back and forth. What if Kase came back? What if Aya didn't want him to follow? His former owner had been the source of so much pain but the thought of losing Aya was worse. Ken let out a low whimper and hugged himself. Quickly he ducked into the stall and almost ripped the clothes off before putting on the ones the redhead had given him. 

When he was done he hurried after his master praying to any God he could think of that he could find Aya again. He desperately wanted to trust his new owner but he had been betrayed so many times. And still somewhere deep down inside he knew that the redhead would never hurt him intentionally. His eyes caught a glint of crimson hair and he ran faster almost pushing people aside in his eager to catch up with his owner. Panting for air Ken finally reached Aya and without thinking he grabbed his arm. The redhead swirled around.  
  


"Please don't leave me!" Ken blurted out before he could stop himself. "Don't leave me, please." He could feel his owner's eyes on him but for some reason he didn't fear being punished. Aya had said he wouldn't hurt him and he believed him, really truly believed him, at least for the moment. Soft fingers brushed away his tears and tilted his face up.  
  


"I won't Ken," came the hushed answer.  
  


"Well if it isn't cousin Aya." The slave immediately flinched to his owner's side and lowered his head.  
  


"Kudou!" Aya grumbled. "Figures I'd meet you today." Ken carefully squinted up at the other man. He was a bit taller than the redhead, lanky, had sparkling green eyes, blonde hair, a cigarette between his lips and his whole being screamed playboy.  
  


"You're always so happy to seem me Aya," the blonde grinned and moved his eyes to the slave. "WOW!" Ken moved closer to the redhead and cowered under the intense green gaze.  
  


"Knock it off Yoji, you're scaring him." Aya protectively wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders without even thinking about it.  
  


"Sorry, but he is absolutely beautiful." Ken felt his face go red at that.  
  


"YOJI!"  
  


"Yeah, yeah I'll shut up about it okay. What are you doing here? I thought you hated crowds," the blonde smirked and let out a puff of smoke.  
  


"I do but Ken didn't have any clothes to wear."  
  


"I bet you he's even more beautiful without them." That remark almost made Ken crawl inside Aya's coat. The blonde wanted him, the slave could hear it, and even if the redhead had said no one else would touch him he wasn't sure that promise included his cousin.  
  


"Kudou! Would you drag your mind out of the gutter already?" Aya sighed and rolled his eyes.  
  


"Sure but what's the fun in that? You know it is a shame we're cousins. I would love to get my hands on you," Yoji mused and ran his jade gaze up and down the redhead's body.  
  


"Touch me and I'll kill you!" Aya muttered but there was no real anger in his voice just a flare of annoyance. Ken refused to look at the blonde again. Not only was he making remarks about his body he was also making them about his owner's. The brunette sought protection by pressing himself as close to Aya's side as he possibly could. "Sch Ken calm down. Yoji isn't going to hurt you," the redhead whispered calmly.

//

Ran gave his cousin a sad look and gently rubbed the slave's shoulder. Ken had all but pressed himself right through him.  
  


"I'm really sorry Aya I shouldn't have said those things," Yoji mumbled with regret. Ran wasn't a big fan of his cousin but the blonde wasn't a bad person, he was just rather obnoxious in his crude playboy ways.  
  


"You had no way of knowing. I really need to talk to you Yoji but…" the redhead sighed and gestured to the brunette that was clinging desperately to his arm and coat.  
  


"Why don't you two come home with me? We can all have dinner together and then we'll talk," the blonde suggested.  
  


"Sounds good to me, just let me pay for the clothes and stuff." Ran gently lead Ken back into the store. The slave seemed to have forgotten everything except his need to stay with his owner.

//

Yoji watched his cousin and smiled slightly. The browned hair slave was a knock out and if Aya had warmed up to him so much then things were looking promising. His stoic cousin had had a ten-foot pole shoved up his ass ever since his parents and his sister had died but perhaps this slave could fix that problem. The blonde would never admit to it, but sometimes he really worried about Aya. His crimson haired cousin was a difficult person to understand and even more difficult to read since he always had that damn callous mask firmly in place shutting in all emotions except anger and annoyance. 

Yoji had a small thing for him but only because he really wanted to be in control of the untamed beast Aya was. It would be such a power rush to dominate him. When the redhead had been known as Ran he had been a soft gentle boy who was very shy and calm but now… now he was cold, hard and extremely difficult to get close to. The lanky playboy frowned slightly. He knew that Aya was hurting badly inside but what could he do about it? Not a God damned thing and that was something he didn't like at all. 

They might not really share blood but they were still family, at least to Yoji they were. His mother had married Aya's mother's brother when the blonde was just a toddler. He sighed as he remembered the real Aya. That smiling, happy little girl who had brightened up any grey day with her shear presence. His cousin had loved that girl more than anything in life and now she was dead, killed by some fucking psycho who Aya/Ran couldn't touch. Takatori. Just the name made Yoji's skin crawl. 

That bastard was way above the law and he seriously needed a few bullets in his head to be of use to anyone. The only thing Takatori was good as was as food for the maggots, if they would actually eat something that rotten. His green eyes observed how Aya made his way back still with the brunette clinging tightly to his arm. 

Yoji had never seen his cousin allow anyone to touch him like that before. Sure the redhead had had a few lovers but he had never cared about any of them. He just didn't like it when people cared about him or got close to him. This slave however seemed to be a whole different matter. Aya actually did care about him, protected him with the same intensity he had protected his sister.  
  


"Ready to go cousin?" the blonde smiled when the two men joined him again.  
  


"Aa." _The Fujimiya answer,_ Yoji thought and shook his head a little. Aa or Hn was usually the only words anyone got out of him and that was if they were lucky. Aya had a tendency to simply ignore others.  
  


"I have my car outside." The redhead nodded and Yoji couldn't help but smiled wider when he firmly grasped the slave's hand in his. The three men made it outside and into the blonde's four-wheel drive. The jeep was a bit over the top but Yoji wanted it that way, most things he surrounded himself with was way over the top. His cousin took a seat in the back along with the brunette. 

The blonde was a bit shocked when he saw how Aya allowed the beautiful slave to curl up against him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Ah now he understood what was going on. His icy cousin was falling in love or perhaps he had already fallen? To anyone else it would probably have gone by unnoticed but Yoji was an expert on the subject. Oh well, there were worst things that Aya could do.

//

Ken pressed himself against his owner and enjoyed the safety he felt. Aya didn't object and he unknowingly put his arm around his shoulders as to protect him even further. The brunette bit his lip and closed his eyes. He was on the verge of doing something stupid, something that he knew could destroy him but he couldn't help himself. The trust wasn't completely there but Aya was so kind, sweet and felt so safe. There were so much more to that man than his icy front lead people to believe. 

Ken swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. He was falling for his owner and he was falling fast. How or why he wasn't exactly sure but his heart confirmed it. Aya's voice could still frighten him but it was because he was so used to cower from harsh words since they were usually followed by a hard punch. 

The brunette shivered slightly as he felt soft fingers play with his hair. It was such a small gesture yet it meant so much. He had been given promises a thousand times and they had always been broken, he had been showed kindness just to see it turn into cruelty but he had never had anyone caress his hair like the redhead did. 

Maybe his hell was finally over; maybe Aya would make the world a better place to live? Ken hoped so because he didn't know how much more abuse he could take before he gave up on life all together. He just needed someone who cared about him, someone who he could care about. It would mean so much if he just could find one person who needed him, Hidaka Ken and not just as an easy fuck or such but truly needed him. He wanted that person, that someone, to be Aya and his heart told him that that might very well be. All too soon the lanky blonde parked the car outside an apartment-complex and turned off the engine.  
  


"I know it's scabby but I call it home," his owner's cousin joked and left the car.  
  


"Hn." Aya opened the door and gestured to the brunette to get out. Ken quickly slid onto the sidewalk and nervously looked around. Expensive apartments meant rich people who usually were the worst owners, the cruellest. He didn't know what to think about the blonde and he didn't trust him for a moment.  
  


"Well we can't stand around here all day, I'm starving." His owner followed the blonde and Ken made sure he was close behind. They entered a huge lobby and headed straight for the elevators. "I have the penthouse of course, but you've been here before Aya so you know that, right?" The redhead nodded slightly.  
  


"Is the boy still with you, Yoji?" The lanky blonde grinned at the question and his eyes turned warm and caring.  
  


"I wouldn't trade him for the world Aya and he's not exactly a boy." His owner rolled his eyes at that and a small smiled crept across his bland face. "He'll probably have my ass for being late for dinner."  
  


"Oh? I figured it was you who usually had his ass," Aya said evenly and his amethyst eyes sparkled with amusement for a few moments.  
  


"Hey! No fair cracking jokes about that!" Yoji pouted and then grinned widely. "But, you do have a point my dear cousin." The elevator stopped and they exited. Aya raised an eyebrow as the blonde led them up to a huge door. "Shit! I forgot my keys" He knocked on the door and took a few steps back. It opened only a second later and small boy with blonde hair and huge blue eyes appeared.  
  


"You're late Yotan," he complained and pouted at the taller blonde. "And I told you to take your keys with you. What would you have done if nobody had been at home?"  
  


"I'm always late chibi and you wouldn't go anywhere without me, would you?" Yoji drawled.  
  


"Don't call me that! You know I hate it when you call me chibi!"  
  


"Hrm sorry. Aya you already know Omi." The redhead smiled a little at the boy. "Oh Omi this is eh um ah damn! Ken."  
  


"Nice to see you again Aya-kun. A pleasure to meet you Ken-kun," the little blonde smiled and his blue eyes glittered. The brunette blinked. Ken-kun? His brown eyes carefully looked up at the cheerful kid and widened in surprise when he saw the collar around his neck. Omi was a slave? Yoji must be a good man then since the kid was acting so 'normal'.  
  


"Don't let him fool you Ken he's older than he looks," the tall blonde snickered when he saw the brunette observing his slave. Quickly Ken lowered his eyes to the floor again and moved a little bit closer to his owner.  
  


"How old are you now Omi? 12?" The petit blonde stuck his tongue out at Aya and the redhead actually smiled.  
  


"You know very well I'm 17 Aya-kun. You were here for my birthday, remember?" Ken was shocked. Omi acted like any other human and nothing like the slave he obviously was. Slowly he squinted up at his owner. The redhead was absolutely stunning when he smiled and the sight made his heart pound faster.  
  


"Only two years and Yoji has already corrupted you."  
  


"Hey! I recent that remark," the lanky blonde muttered but grinned just the same. "Omi might look innocent but I'm living proof that he is not!" A blush colored the little slave's cheeks and he playfully swatted his owner's hand.  
  


"Yotan! Behave yourself or else," Omi chuckled. The taller blonde's only answer to that was to softly caress the slave's cheek.  
  


"I'll be on my best behaviour chibi," he promised and they all stepped inside the huge apartment.  
  


"What did I say about the chibi-stuff?" Omi scowled and took his owner's jacket.  
  


"All right, all right bishounen. No more chibi. Could you tell Nippy we have two more for dinner?"  
  


"Tell her yourself lazy-bum!" Ken almost fainted. What the hell was going on here? A slave that talked back to his owner?  
  


"Hai, hai, hai I'll go tell her myself. Will you take care of our guests?" Yoji muttered but there was no anger in his voice.  
  


"But of course, this way Aya-kun, Ken-kun."

//

Omi glanced sideways to the brown haired slave. He had been a slave his whole life himself but he had been fortunate enough to have been bought by the Kudou-family as a six year old. His life was completely normal and the only thing that ever reminded him about his lot in life was the light collar he always wore around his neck and that was nothing more than a necklace really. 

Ken had apparently not been so lucky. There was fear in those brown eyes and his form was nervous. His face stilled showed vague traces of bruises and Omi knew for a fact that Aya was not the one who had put them there. The silent redhead was a very caring man even if he usually didn't show it.  
  


"Drinks?" he asked softly and gestured to the huge couch in the living room.  
  


"Mineral water for me, please. Ken what do you want?" The little blonde saw how Ken's eyes widened and his body started to tremble slightly. Someone had scared the brunette badly and most likely beaten the shit out of him. Aya sighed quietly and turned to the slave. "Ken? Do you want something to drink?" The brunette nodded with hesitation. "Soda?" Another nod.  
  


"One water and one soda coming right up," Omi smiled and went over to the bar. _Aya will take care of you Ken. Behind the ice he's nothing more than a big teddy bear, or rather an Aya-bear,_ the blonde sighed to himself and smiled as he fixed the drinks. In the corner of his eyes he saw how the redhead sat down on the couch and the slave kneeled beside it on the floor. Aya frowned at that and gave Omi a resigned look before he turned to Ken.  
  


"Sit on the couch Ken," he said softly and made room for the brunette to sit beside him. The slave didn't move but his form showed how confused he was. "It's okay, come sit here instead." With hesitation the slave stumbled to his feet and sunk down beside his owner.

//

The brunette was scared and confused; Aya could see it a mile away. To relax him he did the only thing that had worked so far, he pulled him close and placed a slender arm around his shoulders. Ken immediately leaned against him and the redhead couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of a strong and warm body pressed up to his own. 

He didn't know what was going on but it had been going on for some time now. It was quite possible that he was falling for the scared brunette just as he had feared. Omi came back to them and put down three glasses on the table.  
  


"Did you miss me?" The lanky blonde joined them and plopped down next to the boy. Aya couldn't help but smile as Omi moved so that he was sitting in Yoji's lap instead of on the couch. It was done without either one of them thinking about it and it was so cute, not even the redhead could deny that. God only knew how those two had found each other but it was apparent that they were happy together. His cousin wrapped his arms around the small slave's waist and seemed utterly contented just being so close.  
  


"When did all this happen?" Aya asked calmly and gestured to his cousin and the petit blonde. Omi blushed when he realized where he was sitting and tried to get back onto the couch but Yoji held him in place and grinned.  
  


"Just look at him cousin… He's a treasure and I love him dearly, what else could have happened?" Omi scowled and glared at the tall blonde.  
  


"This is the only way I can keep him in line Aya-kun. You're cousin is a very stubborn man, but he is rather nice to have around. He's great when I need things taken down from the higher shelves." A soft melodious laughter slipped out from the redhead before he could stop himself. Omi smiled brightly.   
  


"The Kudou, ruined, trapped and used as a ladder," Yoji exclaimed and threw his hands in the air.  
  


"Finally something you're good for then dear cousin," Aya sneered and glanced down at Ken. The brunette was hiding from everything by burying his face against his owner's shirt. _One day you will realize that you are as free as Omi is Ken,_ the redhead promised in silence.

TBC

Yoji and Omi sure seem to be very cute and cuddly ne? /laffs/ They need to be like that so sorry if it seems completely moronic. Besides, I like that pairing /hehe/ But it sure is confusing poor Kenken /hugs him/ Oh well Ran will make it better I hope. Although I wish he had ripped Kase's head off /snorts/. Bastard! Ja/Atsureki


	6. Reversed Roles

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Yoji/Omi, Implying Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery. 

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts. 

Chapter 6. Reversed Roles

After dinner Aya and Yoji left the two slaves with Nippy, the housekeeper, and moved back into the living room.  
  


"So Aya, what's his story? I have never seen anyone so scared and unsure before," the blonde sighed and sank down on the couch.  
  


"The bastard who owned him before is a monster. I don't even wanna know all the thing he did to Ken. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't even been with me a whole day before a slip-up on my part got him raped in my very own bedroom." The blonde's eyes grew wide. He wasn't used to be given information that easily from his cousin, especially not that kind of information.  
  


"By who!?"  
  


"The fucking doctor I brought over to tend to his injuries." The redhead paused and rubbed his chin. "I don't know what to do with Ken, he's scared half out of his wits and if I so much as raise my voice a little he throws himself on the floor shivering from fear. It took me a long time to just be able to touch him without having him flinch back a mile and a half. We met his former owner at that store earlier today, you should have seen the way Ken reacted," he mumbled in a very un-Aya way.  
  


"What do you mean?" Yoji lit a smoke and watched his cousin closely. He had never seen so many emotions in that bland face before, at least not since they were kids.  
  


"He was so scared he could hardly breathe and he was shaking badly but for some reason I don't think it was just Kase…" The blonde narrowed his eyes and his cigarette fell from his hand to the ashtray.  
  


"Kase? As in Kouichiro Kase?" he asked with disgust in his voice.  
  


"I think that was his name yes," Aya agreed and leaned back. "Know him?"  
  


"I guess you could say that. Kase is the biggest fucking bastard around! Ken is lucky you came along. Slaves owned by Kase usually ends up six feet under. That man is the devil's spawn, a cruel sadistic psychotic fuck! You're probably right it was most likely not just Kase. He likes to let others use his slaves, rape them, beat them, you name it. And he likes to watch." Yoji shuddered and stubbed out his smoke. "Kase tried to buy Omi from me last year. Aya… he has connections… with Takatori."  
  


"WHAT!?"  
  


"You heard me. Seems like everything that's fucked up here leads back to Takatori." The redhead's face shone with anger. Yoji knew he had every reason to hate Takatori but at the moment his anger didn't help anything. "Listen Aya, you know as well as I do that no one can touch him so you might as well calm down. Focus on Ken instead, he needs you," the blonde mumbled and widened his eyes slightly when he saw how his cousin's face softened when he mentioned the slave's name.  
  


"I just don't know what to do, if there's anything I can do." Yoji tilted his head slightly.  
  


"From what I've seen today you've done a pretty good job already. He might not trust you completely Aya but I think he finds some sort of security in you. I saw the way he hides in you. Just keep doing what you've been doing and pray that he comes around. You're not just doing this because you feel sorry for him are you?" The redhead glared at little at his cousin.  
  


"What's that suppose to mean?" Yoji chuckled and shook his head.  
  


"This is me you're talking to Aya. I can see that you care a lot about him, don't let that slip away. You've been alone for so long, maybe Ken can help you just as you can help him," the blonde suggested softly and got a slightly shocked look from the other man.  
  


"I… want him to become normal Yoji. I can't stand seeing the fear in his eyes anymore. No one should have to go through life fearing everything and everybody like that. And you're right, I do care a lot about him," Aya admitted and sank deeper down into the couch. It was the blonde's turn to look shocked. His cousin had actually admitted that he cared about someone.  
  


"We both know what's going on Aya so I'm not even going to say anything about it. Just let things take their time, that's all you can do at this point but don't give up. I have a feeling that Ken has a lot hidden inside just like you do."  
  


"Aa he… he brings back Ran," the redhead mumbled so quietly that Yoji almost didn't hear him.  
  


"Good, I miss Ran and I think that you do too." A very small smile played across his cousin's pale face but he didn't say anything.

//

Ken frowned as he looked at his owner. Something was wrong and he didn't know what to do about it. They had left the blonde's apartment late and when they came home Aya went straight to bed with a headache. Ken didn't know where he was suppose to sleep so he had dozed off on the floor in the living room for a few hours before he checked on the redhead. 

His owner's breathing was strained and he was sweating. He wanted to wake him up but he didn't dare to. A part of him knew that Aya wouldn't hold it against him but he had been a slave for too long to just follow his instincts. Nervously he reached out his hand to touch his owner's forehead. The pale skin was burning up. What was he suppose to do? The brunette chewed on his lip and carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. He would have to try to wake the redhead up.  
  


"Master?" he whispered and almost bit his tongue off. The redhead didn't like to be called that. "Aya-sama," he tried instead but got no answer. Gently he touched his owner's shoulder. "Aya-sama?" Still no reaction. He felt a sting of panic race through him. Why didn't the redhead wake up? "Aya!" he said loudly and carefully shook the pale man. A low whimper was heard but his owner remained asleep. The apartment was cold but Aya was still burning hot. The brunette was worried now, scared that something was going to happen to the man who had showed him so much kindness. "Please wake up," Ken pleaded and shook his owner harder. Finally glazed amethyst eyes opened slightly.  
  


"Ken?" The deep smooth voice was cracked and thin. "I think… you should… call a doctor," the redhead croaked out and closed his eyes again. 

The brunette left the bed and picked up the phone but he didn't know whom to call. Trembling he looked around until his eyes spotted a small black phonebook. He shouldn't touch it but he had no choice now. Reluctantly he flipped it open and went through it. There was no number to any doctor in it.  
  


"Damn," he cursed quietly and bit his lip. Who to call? Well Yoji's number was there, perhaps he should try that? The lanky blonde had seemed nice enough. With shaking hands he dialled the number and waited for someone to pick up.  
  


"Moshimoshi, Yoji desu." Ken swallowed and closed his eyes. "Who's this?"

  
  
"K… Ken," the slave stammered and cowered slightly even though there was no one there.  
  


"Ah hello there Ken, what can I do for you?" Well at least the blonde didn't seem angry with him for calling.  
  


"It's eh Aya-sama, he's sick."  
  


"Sick? How sick?" Yoji asked and Ken heard him say something to someone else, most likely Omi.  
  


"He… he has a fever and I had a hard time waking him up. Aya-sama told me to call for a doctor but I…"  
  


"Couldn't find a number? Doesn't surprise me, my dear cousin hates doctors. Don't worry about it Ken I'll call one for you and send him over," Yoji said calmly. The brunette shuddered. He did NOT want a male doctor in the apartment when Aya wasn't around to protect him.  
  


"No," he whispered and sank down on the floor. The blonde was quiet for a while.  
  


"Ken, calm down. I'll come over instead and take care of this, okay?"  
  


"Th… thank you," the brunette mumbled with tears in his eyes.  
  


"Nothing to thank me about. I'll take Omi with me, he wants to see you again." Yoji hung up and Ken did the same before he hurried back to his owner.

//

The doctor who showed up was the same female one that had tended to Ken. Yoji spoke to her after she had checked on his cousin while Omi kept the brunette busy. It hadn't gone unnoticed how worried the slave was about his owner and the lanky blonde secretly smiled about it.  
  


"So what's wrong with my cousin?" Doctor Ono corrected her clothes and sat down.  
  


"It's that new flu. It strikes hard and fast with high fevers and a lot of pain. He should be fine though, just make sure he has a lot to drink and keep him in bed." Yoji chuckled softly.  
  


"Easier said than done. I'll leave him with his slave," blonde nodded and lit a cigarette. 

"So he decided to keep him?" Ono asked and raised an eyebrow. "I took care of him when he first got here," she added when she saw the confused look on the tall man's face.  
  


"Ah, yeah Ken's still here and I have a feeling he's going to stay here for a long time," the blonde smiled warmly and looked up. "Doctor Ono this is Omi and you already know Ken." The small blonde smiled at her and sat down beside his owner while Ken kneeled on the floor.  
  


"Ken please don't do that," Omi sighed and rose again. He took the brunette's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Sit on the couch." Reluctantly the taller slave sat down but he kept his eyes on the floor.  
  


"How are you feeling Ken?" Doctor Ono asked softly and studied the brunette's face. She didn't get an answer but she hadn't really expected one either. "Do you feel okay now?" Ken gave her a small nod. "Good. Do you think you can take care of your owner?" Another nod. "Make sure he drinks a lot of water and try to keep him in bed. You can call me if you have any questions or if you feel he's getting worse. Oh and there's a bottle of pills there too make sure he takes them." The brunette didn't move but she knew he had heard her. "I've left my card by the bed." She rose and talked to Yoji for a few more minutes before she left.  
  


"Do you want us to stay?" Omi asked when they were alone. The brunette carefully looked up and shook his head. He didn't want to be a bother anymore.  
  


"You have our number so just call if there's anything you need Ken." Yoji rose from the couch and stretched. "Let's go Omi." A few moments later Ken was by himself and he was nervous. Never before had he been trusted to take care of someone else but he would do the best he could.

//

The floor was cold and hard but Ken ignored it since he didn't have anywhere else to sleep. Every now and then he left the living room to check on his owner. The redhead was asleep and the only thing Ken could do for him was try to keep him as comfortable as possible, which was exactly what he had been doing for two days. 

Sighing quietly to himself the brunette got up and padded into the bedroom again. Aya was pale and sweaty but his sleep seemed to be somewhat calm. He kneeled beside the bed and carefully observed his owner. Usually he kept his eyes lowered but now he had a chance to really look at the taller man. His body was covered with sweat as the medication Ono had given him broke his fever. The redhead moved and threw away the blankets that had been covering him.  
  


"Ken?" The whisper was hoarse and the amethyst eyes that opened shadowed.  
  


"Hai," the brunette answered quietly and lowered his head again.  
  


"Could… could you give me some water?" Ken quickly got up and fumbled with the water. Carefully he helped his owner to sit up so that he could drink. "Thank you," Aya murmured when he was done and sank back against the pillows. The slave put the glass away and kneeled again. It only took a few moments before his owner had fallen asleep again. Gently Ken reached up and dried away the sweat with a soft cloth he had found in the bathroom. 

He really wanted to change the sheets but he didn't think it was a good idea to disturb the redhead. His face showed nothing as he stared at the floor but his thoughts were very much active. He had had sick owners before but it had never made him feel the way he felt now. A sick owner meant that he would be left alone which always was a blessing but Aya's sickness didn't bring out those feelings. 

He was concerned about his owner, worried, a little scared and he wanted him to get better as fast as it was possible. To care for Aya was so strange, he had never cared for any of his other owners he had just feared them. Sometimes he had almost hated them but it was hard to hate someone he was so terrified of. But the redhead was nothing like them.

//

Ran opened his eyes and blinked a few times. His head was heavy and he was soaked in sweat. Disgusted with himself the redhead wiped his forehead and carefully sat up. He felt better but his body was still drained from having fought the fever. A little dazed he looked around and frowned deeply when he found Ken asleep on the floor beside the bed. The slave was curled up in a little ball on the prickly rug. That did not look comfortable at all. 

Aya leaned back against the pillows and sighed. Just where did the brunette sleep anyway? His apartment didn't have a guest-room and the two sofas in the living room were too short to be comfortable. Not that sleeping on the floor could be better. The redhead sighed slightly. Ken should have come to him and asked, hell he wished that the slave had demanded a decent place to sleep but instead he had just decided to use the cold unkind floor. Aya leaned back and closed his eyes. 

_Please let him trust me enough to come to me… Just let me take care of him._ The plea was silly but he didn't really care. He couldn't get Ken out of his head and he had almost accepted that the slave on his floor wouldn't get out of his heart either. With a little huff the redhead opened his eyes again. Until he could think of something else he would just have to give up the other side of his bed to the brunette, there was more than enough room to fit them both. Aya raised an eyebrow at himself and almost chuckled. _Like I'm ever going to let him leave my bed if I get him in here?_

TBC

Trust me the flu can come that fast. /mutters/ And breaking a fever is sweaty business… Well Ken seems to do a good job at taking care of Ran and Ran really needs to move the cute brunette into his bed ne? Ja/Atsureki


	7. Sleepy Actions

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Ran/Ken

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery, very short chapter. 

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts. 

Chapter 7. Sleepy Actions

When Ken woke up he was freezing, his whole body ached from sleeping on the hard floor and the side he had been lying on was stinging from the prickly rug. Carefully he stretched and rolled over so that he could kneel. He looked up and found himself being watched by Aya's amethyst eyes.  
  


"I really need to take a shower but I'm not sure I can make it to the bathroom on my own. Do you think you could help me?" the redhead asked quietly. Ken blinked. His owner was asking for help?  
  


"Hai Aya-sama."  
  


"Thank you." He gently helped Aya to his feet and into the bathroom. "Would you mind changing the sheets?" Ken shook his head and left his owner alone in the shower. 

He quickly did what he had been asked and then patiently waited for Aya to finish. The redhead showed up moments later. He had to support himself against the wall when he walked but he looked a lot better. 

"It's like 5 am or something so I'm going back to bed. Are you still tired?" Normally he would have answer no but this was Aya so Ken decided to be honest and nodded. "Ken?"  
  


"Hai Aya-sama?"  
  


"It's just Aya. Um exactly where have you been sleeping?"  
  


"I… In the living room," the brunette answered slowly.  
  


"On the couch?" He shook his head. "On the floor?" The slave nodded. "I see. Did you get yourself a blanket and a pillow?" Ken glanced up and frowned slightly. Where was Aya going with those questions?  
  


"Iie."  
  


"Ken it's chilly in here and the floor is hard." The redhead sighed deeply and tilted his head slightly. "Okay this is what we're going to do. As you know there's no guest-room and the couches aren't very comfortable so how about sharing my bed?" Ken snapped his head up in shook and stared. "It's big enough for the both of us. Ken? I don't bite so please just go to bed." The brunette didn't move. "Bed Ken, NOW!" The slave winced at his owner's hard voice but to his own surprise the numbing fear of getting hit wasn't there.  
  


"Please I…" he stammered not really sure why he was objecting so much.  
  


"Please I what Ken? I'm not letting you sleep on the floor again! It's cold and uncomfortable and I… Can you just please use the bed?" 

Ken carefully look up and met Aya's eyes. They looked tired and worn and he was adding to it by being stubborn. The brunette bit his lip and gingerly got into the bed. Aya followed him almost immediately and Ken couldn't help but shiver. He wasn't suppose to be there at least not unless Aya wanted to use him. The redhead yawned and snuggled deeper underneath the quilt. 

"Relax Ken I'm not going to hurt you, we're just going to sleep okay?" Brown eyes closed as the slave tried to get his tense body to stop shaking. Suddenly a hand ran through his hair. At first Ken went completely stiff from the touch but then he relaxed. Aya wasn't going to hurt him, force him to do anything he didn't want to. It didn't take long before sleep came to him.

//

Ran looked at the sleeping slave next to him and sighed. Not even in his sleep did the submission on Ken's face completely disappear. His body had relaxed but the brunette was lying as far away from his owner as it was possible. What Ran really wanted to do was track down every single owner that had hurt Ken and rip them to bloody pieces. How could anyone hurt someone like the brunette? Use him like he was nothing more than a mere toy? The redhead sighed again and then frowned when his slave whimpered in his sleep. 

His past wouldn't even leave him alone when he was asleep. It hurt to see that and he didn't know what he could do to help. Yoji had told him to just keep doing what he had been doing so far but would it be enough? Ran wanted Ken to be normal, to smile and do the things he wanted to do. _Maybe I'm asking for too much?_ the redhead sighed to himself. 

He leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes. What he wanted was for Ken to be like Omi but the brunette hadn't been as lucky as the little blonde. Omi had been a slave all his life, or at least as far as he could remember. The petit blonde didn't remember anything before he was six and no one knew where he came from. Most likely he was an orphan and had simply been stolen by someone, branded as a slave and then sold. Yoji's parents had bought him or rather adopted him and he had grown up almost as their own son. Since Omi never had had any training he didn't act anything like a slave, there was no submission. 

Ran sighed again and glanced at the brunette. Another whimper was heard and the redhead had had enough. Carefully he pulled the slave closer to him and ran his hand through the soft brown hair.  
  


"I'm not giving up Ken," he muttered when the brunette tensed at the touch. After a few moments, when he was sure Ken wasn't waking up, he gently shifted the sleeping slave so he was pressed up against him. It felt so good to have that solid warm body close. 

The brunette sighed softly and moved even closer until he was more or less lying half across his owner's body. Ran smiled slightly and relaxed. Ken would most likely freak out if he woke up but the redhead was willing to risk that just to feel the slave against him. Contented he fell asleep.

//

He was warm, felt safe and he was still half asleep. Strong arms held him but they didn't give him the feeling of being pinned down or kept in place. It just felt like they held him because they wanted to. Ken buried his nose in the spicy smell of another man's body and sighed. He couldn't even remember when he had ever felt so secure and content before. There was something nagging him in the back of his mind but he ignored it. Fingers caressed his hair and almost made him purr with delight.  
  


"Aya," the slave mumbled quietly.  
  


"Mm," a sleepy voice answered. For a quick second the brunette's head tried to reason with him, tell him that he should move but Ken silenced it. He didn't care what was wrong with something that felt so very right. Without opening his eyes the slave raised his head a little. 

He could feel warm puffs of air against his face and turned towards it. If he had been completely awake he would have moved away but his sleepy mind pushed him forward without caring about anything anymore. Slowly he leaned towards the source of warm air and brushed against soft lips. 

His body took over and wanted more so he repeated the action again. The hand in his hair helped him and gently held him in place. Lips touched again and Ken wanted, needed, more. The soft contact changed slightly and turned into a chaste kiss. It felt so nice, so right that the brunette had to have another try. Once more he sought out those lips and kissed them again.

His owner seemed to like his actions and answered them but opening his mouth slightly so he could deepen the kiss. Ken was in heaven when he tasted Aya's lips and mouth. Throwing caution to the wind the brown haired slave carefully closed his mouth around the redhead's lower lip and gently sucked on it. A low moan brushed against his mouth and his heart cheered. 

More, he wanted more. Ken let go of Aya's lip and covered his owner's mouth with his own again. The kiss was slow and gentle but it was filled with feelings he had never felt before. He had never kissed anyone before and no one had ever allowed him to be in control of anything, but Aya wasn't even trying to take the control from him. The redhead answered the kisses but he didn't push them further, didn't demand more. 

Ken's brain had almost caught up with him but he refused to let it interfere. Slowly and with hesitation the slave traced his owner's lip with his tongue, not quite sure what he was asking for. Aya seemed to know though and parted his lips further. 

The brunette found his way in between them almost on instinct and couldn't help but moan as he explored the warm and moist mouth that belonged to his owner. A warm hand slipped underneath his shirt and ran up and down along his spine. His skin almost burst into flames from the touch and Ken moaned again. 

He wanted to touch too; he wanted to feel Aya's skin against his. Afraid but with too much need to stop the slave's fingertips found their way to the redhead's flat stomach. The shirt he was wearing left part of the pale skin naked and Ken shook as he touched it. It was so warm and smooth and Aya was trembling slightly underneath him. All of it felt almost unreal to the slave. He was making his owner tremble from his touch, he was controlling the kissing, he was in charge of everything. 

Ken's years of training, beatings and abuse suddenly kicked in and he flinched back with a yelp of fear. What was he doing? No matter how understanding and kind Aya might have been he was NOT going to take that from a slave, was he? The brunette crawled backwards until he fell to the floor.  
  


"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he chanted as his body curled up to protect itself from the coming punches.

TBC

Poor Ken he thinks Ran is gonna beat him now! But Ran would never do that, would he? Is he angry with Ken? Can he convince Ken that he was doing something right??? Ja/Atsureki


	8. Failure

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery, rape (nothing real graphic though), again short chapter, sorry. 

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Chapter 8. Failure

Ran stared at his slave unable to move. What the hell had just happened? He didn't understand and he didn't know what to do. Ken was still repeating 'I'm sorry' as he shivered on the floor. The redhead blinked slowly and tried to kick his brain into action. 

He had really thought that everything was going great when Ken started kissing him and now it was all shot to shit, but why, how? Another slow blink, but still no movement from the taller man. Ran shook his head and finally managed to snap out of his numbness.  
  


"Ken?" he asked quietly. The brunette didn't seem to hear him.  
  


"Ken?" he tried again a little louder. What he really wanted to do was pull the disturbed slave into his arms but that was probably not a very wise idea at the moment.  
  


"KEN!" His voice was loud and slightly harsh due to his concern. The brunette winced at the sound and stopped chanting. _What do I do now?_ Ran blinked a few more times and sighed deeply.  
  


"Come here Ken," he said softly but the slave didn't move.  
  


"KEN! Come here!" He really didn't want to sound so hard and demanding but it didn't seem like the slave would react to anything else. The brunette quickly glanced up and some kind of emotion flashed across his face and then it was gone, replaced by submission. Gingerly and shaking badly Ken crawled back onto the bed but he kept his face lowered and his form hunched. 

He was scared, that much Ran understood although he couldn't quite grasp why. The redhead's eyes widened in shock when Ken started to fumble with his clothes. It was hard for him to get them off since his hands were trembling so much. Ran couldn't speak he just sat there and stared. What was Ken doing? Well he was getting naked that much was obvious but why, for what reason? 

When the slave had removed his clothes he placed himself face down on the bed and raised his hips slightly. Suddenly it dawned on Ran what was going on. Ken though he was going to… that he wanted to… The redhead shuddered. 

For months he had tried, desperately, to show the brunette that he wasn't like his other owners and now it was obvious that he had failed miserably. Minutes ticked by. Ken was still in the exact same position and Ran was too stunned to move or even speak for that matter. His slave thought, assumed, that he was going to fuck him, take him, use him, rape him? 

With a look of panic in his eyes Ran bolted for the bathroom. How could Ken ever think he would do that to him? His stomach heaved and the redhead sank down on the cold tiles as he threw up. It was like some horrible nightmare to Ran. He would never ever take or use Ken like that and the shear thought of it made him vomit even harder. With a suffocated whimper, almost a sob, his stomach was finally empty and he sank back against the bathroom-wall and wiped his mouth with a shaking hand.

//

Ken winced when he heard the bathroom-door slam shut and carefully look up. He could clearly hear the sounds of his owner throwing up. What had he done wrong? Did Aya really find him that disgusting? The slave crawled off the bed and onto the floor again. Tears were filling up his eyes as he kneeled on the carpet, pressing his forehead against the prickly surface to really show how submissive he was. 

What had he done wrong? He had just done what he had thought his owner wanted from him. Ken choked back a sob and shivered. Aya had said that he would never do what his other owners had done to him but he was a bed-slave. 

Owner after owner had beaten that into his head and he hadn't failed to notice the state the redhead had been in while they kissed. So why had Aya rejected him? Maybe his owner found him disgusting because he had been used before? Ken squeezed his eyes closed and let a low sob escape him. 

His mind started to pull back to the owner that had used him as a bed-slave for the first time when he was about 15. A middle-age man, married, father of two and he had been so cruel as he taught Ken to keep his pain and suffering silent. 

The brunette hugged himself and tried to struggle when his memory travelled back in time. It had been a normal day at first but it had changed so quickly. His owner at that time had used the exact same words that Aya had used earlier. Frozen in his spot on the floor Ken relived it all.

Flashback

"Get over here!" a hard demanding voice ordered. He quickly obeyed it and kneeled in front of his owner shivering in fear. "What did I tell you about that fucking ball?" Ken swallowed and cowered. He had really done it this time. How could he have been so stupid? His owner had told him several times that he couldn't play with his son's football but he had done it anyway and now he was going to pay for it. Hopefully he was just going to get a beating for his disobedience.  
  


"I… I… I'm not allowed t… to play… play with it," he stuttered and pressed his forehead against the cold wooden floor. A hard kick was delivered to his ribs and he bit back a scream of pain.  
  


"You worthless little fuck! How many times have I told you to call me Master when you talk to me?!" Ken whimpered in fear and cowered even more.  
  


"I'm sorry Master," he squeaked out as he gasped for air.  
  


"Well?" The brown haired slave darted his eyes back and forth in confusion. What did his owner want from him now? He didn't understand. "You really are completely worthless!" He got another hard kick and couldn't help but let out a yelp of pain. 

"SHUT UP! Now get undressed!" Ken unwillingly obeyed and took off his clothes. He knew what was going to happen and it caused tears to run down his cheeks. When he was naked he went back to his kneeling position again. 

"Better," his owner muttered darkly and Ken could hear the man moving around. 

"KEN! Come here!" The slave crawled over to the bed on his hands and knees. It wasn't the first time and he knew that it wouldn't be the last either. He got on the bed and lay down on his stomach. 

"This really is the only thing you're good for," his owner snarled as he forced himself inside the brunette's body. Ken suffered in silence, crying without a sound as he sank his teeth into this lower lip to keep himself from screaming. He was being torn apart from inside out and nobody cared, no one would help him…

End Flashback

Ken gasped from the all too vivid memories of the pain and humiliation. He had never wanted any of his owners to touch him; he had never felt anything but fear towards them. But it was different with Aya. The brown haired slave swallowed a sob and slowly shook his head. He couldn't help it, couldn't hide from it anymore. It might be stupid, unwise and he might still have his doubts about what kind of man his owner was but the truth was that he was in love with Aya. 

Ken bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. His owner had never hurt him, had taken care of him and showed him so much kindness but there was nothing that said that the redhead loved him back. Maybe he just felt sorry for him? Ken's jaws clenched together. Underneath the submission and fear he still had a temper even though it had been pushed down so far inside of him that it barely ever managed to remind him of its presence. 

He didn't want Aya to pity him! Couldn't stand the thought of being taken care of just because he was what he was. The brunette sighed deeply and wiped the tears from his eyes. It was hopeless. He was a slave, a toy and didn't deserve love, or care for that matter. But God how he wanted it, needed it. His naked body shivered from the cold but he didn't move. Suddenly something warm and soft was placed around him and a hand raised his face up from the rug.  
  


"Ken." His name was spoken with a soft sigh and his eyes meet his owner's. "What am I going to do with you?" The slave swallowed and blinked in confusion. Aya didn't seem angry; he seemed sad and defeated. "Get up," Aya said softly and helped him to his feet. He was gently brought back to bed and nestled into the warmth again. His owner sat down beside him and rubbed his face.  
  


"I… I'm sorry," Ken mumbled quietly and fiddled with the blanket wrapped around him.  
  


"I'll leave you alone." Aya rose again and started walking towards the door. Ken darted his eyes back and forth. He didn't want his owner to leave him alone, he wanted…. wanted…  
  


"Please don't go!" the brunette blurted out. The redhead stopped and turned around, giving him a strange look. "Please don't go." He was fighting against the tears again as he reached out his hand in pleading.  
  


"What do you want Ken? Just please tell me and I'll give it to you," Aya sighed and swayed slightly. The slave trembled. That was the kind of question he couldn't answer, shouldn't even get but he wanted to answer that one.  
  


"I… I want…" he tried and closed his eyes.  
  


"Forget it Ken…" The redhead's words caused Ken to snap his eyes open again.  
  


"No please… I just… just want…" _You!_ his mind finished with a scream. _I want you!_ Aya shook his head and the bland mask Ken had seen before slipped back into place taking away all emotions.

//

Ran forced his well-used mask of ice to cover his face and turned his back towards the slave. He couldn't do this, it was too hard, and it hurt. Ken would never be okay, would never be normal. His former owners had destroyed too much. Solemnly the redhead left his bedroom and crossed his apartment. 

He wasn't helping Ken either instead he seemed to make the slave confused and even more uncertain. Maybe he should find him a new owner, a place where the rules were clear and familiar? Ran's heart objected by sending a stab of pain through his body. 

The redhead sank down on one of the couches and shook his head sadly. He wasn't sure he could part from Ken though because whether or not he wanted it he was well on the way of falling in love with him. Ran leaned back and closed his eyes. 

_What am I going to do about this?_ he asked himself. _Please I'll do anything to help Ken, anything at all. Just tell me what I have to do?_ His pleading question got no answer and he was so tired and felt so miserable. 

Life wasn't fair, life had never been fair but at the moment it was down right shitty! He had such strong feelings for Ken but he wasn't helping him and a part of him was sure that the only right thing to do was get the slave as far away from him as possible but could he do that, could he let go?

TBC

Um I don't really have anything to say about this chapter except my apologizes for how much it stinks. /sighs/ Oh well there it is anyways. See ya next time… Ja/Atsureki


	9. Crimson Rain

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery, Me being a bastard .

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts. 

I don't know if I made the age of the boys clear before? I know that I wrote in one chapter that Omi is 17 but what about the others? If I didn't then I should tell you that Ken is 19 and Yoji and Ran are about the same age, 25 or so. Ran has to be a little older in here. He was about 18 when he lost his parents. /nods/ Not sure this is going to really matter all that much but I felt like I should tell you. Anyways on to the chapter!!! 

Chapter 9. Crimson Rain

Ran stayed on the couch but he didn't fall asleep. His mind was twisting and turning the problem he was facing until his head started aching. As far as he could tell he had two options. Either he had to get Ken to act normal or he had to let the slave go. The former was better than the latter but unfortunately for Ran he had no idea of how to make that happen. 

He sighed deeply and stretched out his body. Why was everything always so damn difficult and complicated? The redhead growled and pushed himself off of the couch. He had to do something but what and how? Before he could sink any deeper into his problems the phone rang. Annoyed and distracted he picked it up.

"Aa."

"Abyssinian you have a mission," a female voice said with urgency. Ran groaned. Just what he needed. He decided not to say anything and leave it to the other person to continue. "The details are delivered to the usual place in one hour. It's rated blue and with a rush smacked all over it," she growled into his ear. Another damn blue one! Ran gritted his teeth. Blue meant several targets that needed to be killed and if it was marked rush he would have to do it right away. "Abyssinian?" The redhead shook his head. Maybe he should answer the women?

"I got that Manx," he almost barked and made no attempt to hide his annoyance.

"I know you've been sick but this can't wait and I don't dare to send anyone else on it. Ran…" her voice trailed off and the fact that she had used his real name gave him a bad feeling.

"Aa."

"We've had problems with our files lately. Someone's been checking up on you, someone with a lot of power." _Takatori,_ Ran hissed inside. 

"Fuck!"

"I have also been informed that you now own a slave!" Manx voice was harsh and disliking.

"Hn." He was not going to talk about this with her so he did what he usually did, he ignored her as much as he could.

"How long do you think it'll take until this slave starts to wonder how you can afford that apartment, your car and all the other things when you don't seem to work at all?" That had actually never even crossed his mind. No one knew about his 'occupation', not even Yoji.

"Drop it Manx! He's not going to snoop, trust me."

"You know the deal Abyssinian. If he does we have to remove him," Manx said coldly and he knew, without being able to see her, that she was tapping her nails on her desk.

"Touch him and Kritiker will turn into my next mission rated blue," Ran said slowly, calmly making it obvious that it wasn't a threat as much as a promise. A click was the only response he got. How he hated Kritiker! He had become a hired killed after the attack on his parents and his sister. It was the only thing that paid enough and he had needed the money so badly. 

No one outside Kritiker knew that his little sister hadn't died right away but been in a coma for two years. That was why he hated doctors so much, why he refused to get close to anyone or let anyone get close to him. Well it had used to be like that at least, until Ken appeared. Ran rubbed his forehead when the brown haired slave took over his thoughts again. In his eager to not think about the slave he accidentally wandered onto a path that brought him nothing but pain. Aya.

Flashback

Ran smiled as he dried the dishes. Aya was awake, his sister was among the living again. As soon as he was done he would head out to do some shopping and then over to the hospital to see her. The doctor in charge of her case had said that Aya would be fine but she needed to rest for a few days before he was allowed to take her home. She had after all been in a coma for almost two years. 

He put away the last plate and headed straight for the door. His shopping took several hours but he wanted to buy some of the things Aya loved the most. Ran left the things he had bought in his car and walked through the huge doors of the hospital. Although he was feeling very cheerful inside his face was blank. He had spent two years hiding and it was a hard habit to break just like that.

"Fujimiya-san." He turned around and nodded to Aya's doctor. "Could I see you in my office?" 

"Aa," the redhead agreed and followed the black haired man.

"Please sit down Fujimiya-san. I've tried to reach you for hours but I got no answer." Ran swallowed as a cold fear gripped at his heart. "As you know I've kept an eye on your sister for the past few days and she was doing very well." The fact that the doctor had said 'was doing very well' did not escape the redhead for a moment. "Unfortunately she became ill early this morning."

"Why didn't you call me!?" Ran snapped with anger and concern and felt how his whole body tensed.

"We didn't feel that it was necessary at the time. Her health was surprisingly good considering what she's been through so I thought she'd shake it off." 

"Shake what off?! I want to see her right now!" He was panicking now. That damn doctor was keeping something from him.

"Fujimiya-san, Aya passed away a few hours ago. There was nothing we could do for her…" Ran shot up from the chair as if it was made of needles and stormed out without caring about the shocked doctor who yelled after him. He ran out from the hospital, threw himself into his car and sped off without knowing where he was going nor did he care. His sister was dead. He had gotten her back and now she was gone again, this time forever.

End Flashback

Ran shuddered from the memory and rubbed his arms. Why had he suddenly remembered that? That damn doctor had first told him that Aya never would wake up again but she had and then he had said that she was going to be fine and she had died. To him doctors were nothing more than lying pieces of shit who knew nothing about what they were talking about! He pushed away the memories, the anger, sadness and despair. This was not the time! He had a mission to do and he would need all his attention to get through it alive. 

Solemnly he trotted over to the bedroom and took a look at Ken. The slave was sleeping restlessly but the redhead decided not to wake him up. He quietly opened his wardrobe and dressed himself in the clothes he usually wore when he went on missions. Black pants, tight black turtleneck, boots and the long coat. When he was done he took another look at Ken to make sure he was still asleep and then touched a small button on the inside of the wardrobes' wall. 

Behind his clothes a piece of the wood slid to the left. Carefully he pulled out his weapon and secured it to his side. He was done, ready to go out and punish the evil forces of the world. With a sigh Ran walked up to the sleeping slave and gently brushed away a few chocolate strands from his face.

"I've never really care if I make it through a mission alive before," he whispered. "But this time I have to because…" His voice trailed off and the redhead bit his lip. "Because I love you Ken." There he had said it! He had never said those three words to anyone except his parents and his sister; hell he had never felt love towards anyone else. One last look at the brunette's beautiful face then Ran was gone.

//

It was raining like crazy and he hated it! The constant pouring made it hard to see clearly and it made the ground slick. He was facing two men and the only thing he had to defend himself with was his katana. Growling he charged the nearest one while he kept an eye on the second man. Inside he cursed Kritiker. It wasn't a mission; it was suicide. 

He had already finished off three men and he was tired and wounded. Sure it was only a minor injury but it still hurt and he was still weak from being sick. Snarling and panting he managed to kill the stubborn man. Quickly he swirled around to take down the last one. Ran froze. That was NOT one of his targets.

"So we meet again Fujimiya?" The redhead narrowed his eyes and glared. "No! He's mine!" The man who was Ran's last target lowered his head and backed off. "Tell me Fujimiya… Did you really think Takatori would just sit by while you run around killing people he does business with? Not to mention the fact that some of them are people he rather kill himself." Ran snorted.

"I think you're mistaking me for someone who gives a shit!" he spat out. 

"Ah but you should give a shit, Abyssinian," the man sneered at him and moved closer. "Aya, Ran, Fujimiya, Abyssinian or whatever you like to be called it all ends here. My orders are to kill you and that suits me just fine. When you're gone I'll once again have my whore back." Ran let out a sound somewhere between a snarl and a curse.

"Touch Ken and I will kill you Kase! I don't care if you kill me I'll fucking come back from the dead and rip your head off!" the redhead growled and raised his katana. 

"Still haven't fucked him? You don't have to seduce him or try to sweep him off his feet you know Ranners," Kase purred and tilted his head. "All you have to do is order him to strip or if you prefer, just rip his clothes off and fuck him anyway you want to. That IS what he's there for you know."

"Zakennayo!" Kase chuckled and pulled out a gun.

"How about I fuck you instead? Actually you're not my type, too much hard work to get you to submit. That's what I love about Kenken he never fights; he just takes whatever you dish out to him. But oh what a turn on his tears are, the fear in his eyes whenever you raise your hand." Kase's eyes shone with a sadistic glow and his lips had turned into a cruel smirk.

"You're disgusting you sick bastard!" Ran snorted. Damn he was in a tight fix now. And if he didn't make it Ken would be in serious danger.

"To each his own," the bastard snickered. "I'll promise to send Kenken your love Fujimiya." A loud bang echoed between the houses. Had Kase missed him? The redhead looked down. There was a hole in his coat. Confused he pressed his gloved hand against it for a moment. Red? Blood? Uncertain Ran looked up again and stared at Kase. He had been shot, he was bleeding, and he felt funny, light-headed. His katana clattered as it fell to the ground. 

"Bastard," he slurred and felt how his knees started to wobble.

"Would you just die already?" Kase growled with annoyance. Another bang and everything disappeared.

TBC

First of all I just wanted to say that this chapter should have been chapter 7 but I decided to get some snogging before this. I mean we were all dying for it right? Um bad choice of words /winces/

Is Ran dead? Even if he isn't he won't be able to save Ken huh? /worried look/ Kase is gonna get Ken isn't he? /whines/ Damn Kase! Ran should have killed him at that damn store!!! And who's going to help Ran? He can't just lie there bleeding ne? You want to find out what's next? Then you know what to do. Oh and speaking about that I just wanted to tell all of you who review so faithfully that I luv you guys! /glomps all of her wonderful reviewers/ You have no idea of how much you mean to me!!! Luv ya all!!! Ja/Atsureki


	10. Back In The Hands Of The Devil

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /Sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just using them to satisfy my twisted imagination.

Paring: Ran/Ken 

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery, Me being a bastard again/still ;, Stupid chapter mutters and pouts

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts. 

Chapter 10. Back In The Hands Of The Devil

Pain. Everything was pain. A white, scolding, mind numbing pain that threatened to rip him apart. With a groan he opened his eyes and was greeted with a sharp light that almost cracked his skull in two. More pain, more flashes that caused his body to twitch in agony. 

Exhausted he closed his eyes again and moaned weakly. What the hell had happened to him? Where was he? Brown eyes popped up in his head and the image was soon followed by a mop of chocolate colored hair, a tanned handsome face and a well-trained strong body. 

For a moment his confused brain fought to connect the young man he saw with a name. _Ken._ He swallowed and used his swollen tongue to wet his dry lips. Again he forced his eyes open and squinted to spare them from the harsh light. White walls, a white door and a woman with red hair. Confused he blinked a few times. 

"Manx," he said hoarsely and winced at the strange sound of his voice.

"Ran." She came up to him and took his hand. Why was she there? His head hurt but he searched his memory anyway. He had been shot twice by Kase.

"KEN!" he exclaimed and tried to get up.

"No Ran, lie still!" Manx muttered and carefully kept him down.

"Ken, I have to check on Ken!" he insisted and fought against her. A man in his late forties ended his struggle with a big meaty hand on his shoulder.

"Well now Fujimiya-san you better calm down or I'll have to sedate you." Ran scowled at him but stopped trying to get up. "That's better. Let's see… Ah, you were very lucky Fujimiya-san." The redhead snorted and narrowed his amethyst eyes. 

"Lucky?" Where the hell was the luck in getting shot twice?

"Yes. The first bullet went straight through you and didn't do too much damage. You caught the second one in the chest but it missed your heart with barely an inch." 

"Hn," the redhead snorted and tuned out the man. His thoughts were on Ken. Kase had said that he was going after the brunette and he couldn't do a damn thing about it!

"We are glad to see you awake Fujimiya-san. For a moment we feared that you might have slipped into a coma." The word coma made Ran wince and he groaned in pain as it doubled with the sudden movement.

"How long have I been here?" he asked cautiously.

"Five days and you will be staying for quite some time. By the way I'm Doctor Ishida." Five days?! Kase had had five days to get his sleazy hands on Ken?!?

"Ken!" Ran insisted again and tried to sit up ignoring the pain that almost caused him to black out. "You have to let me check on him!"

"Whoa there Fujimiya-san! You are not going anywhere at the moment. I didn't spend hours stitching you up just so you could tearing your wounds up again!" Ishida muttered and pressed the redhead down on the bed.

"Damn it! I have to check on Ken!" 

"Calm down Ran. It's just a slave, where do you think he's going?" Manx frowned with annoyance in her voice. It threatened to knock him into the blackness but Ran lashed out and grabbed her blouse anyway.

"Don't ever, EVER say that he's just a slave!" the redhead growled in anger. "If anything happens to him I'll… I'll."

"Ah cousin Aya." A slender hand removed Ran's fingers from the woman's clothes and shoved her to the side. "I think that'll be enough now." Amethyst eyes turned to green and narrowed but Yoji's voice calmed him down a little.

"We'll leave you and your cousin alone," Ishida nodded and pushed Manx out the door with small smile at the lanky blonde.

"We need to talk Aya," Yoji muttered and sat down. "I went to your apartment the minute I heard you'd been um robbed." _Robbed?_ Ran raised a thin red eyebrow. Well that was a nice dodge from Manx.

"How's Ken?" He tried to sound normal but the worry snuck into his voice anyway.

"When we find him I'll be sure to ask him," Yoji frowned with concern and pulled out a cigarette. Ran closed his eyes and swallowed. Ken was gone.

//

He was curled up on the floor and it was cold and hard. Shivers ran through his body and made him whimper in pain. It wasn't the first time he had been there and it was starting to dawn on him that it wouldn't be the last either. 

He sobbed and carefully rubbed his arms to get some warmth back. It hurt. Most of his body was covered in bruises and cuts but he was used to it, or rather he had been used to it. For 8 years he had been beaten daily and still just a few months without it made the pain so much worse. 

He carefully made himself smaller and pressed his bruised face against the cold surface of the floor. A wet rag was placed on his chin and he tried to flinch away.

"I'm sorry," a low voice mumbled but the rag didn't move. He opened his eyes and focused on a young face close to his own. The boy kneeling in front of him reminded him of Omi. His hair was a little darker though and his eyes a deeper shade of midnight blue.

"Who are you?" he whispered and scooted away a little.

"My name is Nagi. I won't hurt you," the boy said quietly. 

His face was blank, emotionless but he didn't look like someone that would hit him. Nagi did look a lot like Omi but he seemed younger, more delicate in a fragile way. While Omi was cute and sweet this boy was simply beautiful with a chiselled face that boarded on girl-like. The small blonde slave had innocent wide eyes but this little brunette's eyes, although just as wide, held none of the energetic innocence in them. There was no sparkle, no joy in them either. 

"What's your name?"

"K… Ken." Nagi gave him a small nod and started cleaning his face with the rag. 

"My Master wants to take a look at you so I have to wash you," the boy mumbled and rinsed the bloody rag in a bowl of water. Did Nagi belong to Kase too? Ken didn't think so since the boy showed no signs of bruises. He had never seen a slave that belonged to Kase that didn't have marks of abuse and beatings. 

//

Ken was alone again. Nagi had cleaned him up and then left quietly. He was still cold and still in a lot of pain but he stayed in his curled up position on the floor. If Nagi didn't belong to Kase that meant that some other man wanted to take a look at him, but why? Did his former owner intend to sell him? But he still belonged to Aya, didn't he? 

Kase had said that he didn't but the brunette refused to believe him. Ken whimpered when he thought about the redhead. He wanted Aya there, needed the calm man to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be fine. Crying quietly to himself the brunette remembered what had happened a few days ago.

Flashback

He carefully searched the apartment just to find it empty. His owner was nowhere to be found and it concerned the slave. Aya had never left him alone without letting him know before. Perhaps his owner was angry with him about the previous day? 

Ken swallowed and wrapped his arms around himself. He hadn't meant to upset the redhead, he really hadn't. Lost about what to do he went back to the bedroom and sank down on his knees. Until Aya returned he would stay there in that position and pray that his owner showed him mercy even though he didn't deserve any. 

He had been sitting there for quite some time when the doorbell rang. Ken hesitated for a moment before he rose to his feet and padded over to the door. He thought it might be Aya so when he opened and was faced with his former owner his whole body froze.

"Hello there Kenken," Kase smirked at him and walked in. "Figured it wouldn't be long before I saw you again." The slave trembled and couldn't convince himself to move.

"A… Aya," he whispered in panic.

"Sorry Kenken it seems like the redhead grew tired of the way you behave. He gave you back to me again." Ken closed his eyes and sobbed. No it couldn't be true, could it? Had he really been that bad? For a moment he met Kase's eyes and winced at the cruelty in them. "Now aren't you supposed to be kneeling?" The brunette didn't move, didn't even hear what the other man was saying.

"Aya help me," he whimpered as tears ran down his cheeks. A hand grabbed his neck and threw him to the floor.

"I said kneel you little whore!" Kase barked at him and gave him a hard kick in the back. "I'll teach you how to obey again Kenken. And when I've got you nice and obedient I can finally fuck you again." 

A fist smashed into his face but Ken didn't make a sound. Aya had put him back into the hands of the Devil. He refused to believe that, couldn't for a second think that the redhead could be so malicious.

End Flashback

Ken pulled away from the memory when he heard voices outside the door. He recognized Kase but the second voice was unfamiliar.

"That's all of them," his former owner said. The second voice said something in a language Ken didn't understand.

"Iie Master." That was Nagi. The brunette blinked a little and swallowed. So there was some stranger there.

"You holding out on me Kase?" the stranger asked flatly with his nasal voice.

"Not at all, but there aren't anymore slaves." It was quiet for a while before he again heard something he couldn't understand. Nagi answered in the same strange language.

"Nagi here says there's one more slave."

"Um well that one isn't for sale," Kase muttered and Ken could tell he was annoyed.

"You told me all of them were for sale! Now show him to me!" The door opened and Ken cowered on the floor.

"You won't want this one anyway. He has a serious problem with obeying and will need training," Kase snorted and walked up to the brunette.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" A red-haired stranger came into Ken's view. His green eyes eyed him slowly. "He doesn't look all that disobedient to me."

"Not now but when he's feeling a little better he'll show his true self again."

"Nagi?" The boy said something that Ken didn't catch and the stranger frowned.

"I can see that. Kase you might get more out of your slaves if you didn't beat them half to death." Ken's former owner scowled.

"What I do with my slaves is my business! This one is precious to me and I will do whatever it takes to get him back in order." The stranger huffed and kneeled beside the trembling brunette.

"Punishing a slave is one thing, this is something else. I should buy him just to get him away from you!"

"Schuldig, he's not for sale! He's mine, he's always been mine!" Kase growled and narrowed his eyes in anger.

"Ja, ja. Something tells me you didn't get him legally. Tell me Kase… Is stealing another one of your bad habits?" The brunette whimpered in fear and flinched backwards at the sight of his former owner's face. Kase was literally fuming in rage. 

"I didn't buy him no but his owner is dead so he was up for grabs!" Ken winced. Aya was dead? No it couldn't be true.

"Aya?" the brunette whimpered and clutched his hands. Kase smiled wickedly at the slave.

"You're beloved redhead is dead Kenken. He's not gonna save you this time!" The man called Schuldig, Nagi and Ken's former owner turned around to leave. "I'll be back later Kenken, it's time you went back to doing what you do best." 

The brunette didn't move. If Aya was dead then no one was going to save him, no one was going to keep Kase away from him. With tears flowing down his bruised cheeks Ken curled up on the cold hard floor.

TBC

Poor Ken /sighs/ Kase is such a damn bastard!!! Is anyone going to help Kenken or is his fate sealed???

I picked Nagi and Schuldig at random and I'm not sure if they're going to pop up again but if nothing happens to the idea I have now they do make a second appearance later on. Please note that since this is AU Schu is not a bad guy, um at least not like in the anime. 

And about the way I compare Omi and Nagi in this chapter. I did it by using a pic of each boy and those are the differences I found. To me (in those pics at least) Omi is cute and stuff but Nagi is more on the beautiful side. He looks a bit feminine in it and so sad and lost. And just in case I was clear in the chapter, Nagi is Schu's slave /nods/ There's something so 'slavey' about Nagi /rolls eyes at herself/ Sorry I'll stop babbling now. Ja/Atsureki


	11. Lost In Hopelessness

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just borrowing them.

Paring: Ran/Ken, Kase/Ken (non-con)

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, Abuse, Rape, short chapter.

**If you are sensitive you do not want to read some parts of this chapter! It contains a somewhat graphic rape so if you can't handle that than skip that part!! Again please be careful if you have problems with things like that! **

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Chapter 11. Lost In Hopelessness

Ran huffed and glared at the walls surrounding him with annoyance. Lying flat on his back was seriously starting to piss him off. For over a week he had been in the hospital and every cell in his body was objecting to it. The pain had subsided but his damn doctor still refused to allow him to leave. 

He was jumpy, concerned and every single noise made him want to scream. It had gone so far that he was thrilled every time his cousin came to visit him, usually along with Omi. Ken was on his mind constantly and he was so worried about his slave that it drove him insane. 

Yoji had searched all over Tokyo for the missing brunette but so far he had found nothing. That was something that really concerned Ran. His cousin was the best Private Detective around and if he couldn't find Ken then who could? 

"Ah Fujimiya-san." The redhead looked up and glared at his doctor.

"Hn."

"Good news. I've decided to allow you to go home tomorrow." Ran scowled at him even though the news sure pleased him. "I'll have a nurse remove the stitches later today." With a smile he left the annoyed redhead alone. 

It was great that he could go home but he wasn't looking forward to staying at his place when Ken wasn't there. Both he and Yoji knew that Kase had Ken but couldn't do a damn thing about it. Kase was connected to Takatori, which meant that he was out of everybody's reach. Ran sighed deeply and rubbed his face. 

He didn't want to but he knew that he might have to come to terms with never seeing Ken again. The redhead shook his head and swallowed. He would never accept that. It might have been something he wasn't sure of before but he knew now, he was in love with that brown haired slave. 

//

He stared blankly at the walls that surrounded him. It was quiet and he was alone again. He had always hated being alone but it was better now since company only meant one out of two things. 

A shudder ran through his body but his eyes didn't move, they were empty of all emotions except a deep corroding hopelessness. It didn't matter what anyone did to him anymore; he no longer cared. 

A long time ago when he had been an innocent child and he had taken so much for granted but that had been beaten, raped out of him until… Unchecked tears ran down his cheeks when he thought of his owner. 

He had found security again, someone had cared about him but that someone was gone now, had been taken away from him. Kase could inflict pain on him, humiliate him but he couldn't take anything more away from him; there was nothing left TO take. 

His naked body was covered in bruises, cuts and striped from being whipped. Every single movement was agony but it couldn't compare to the pain he felt inside. The one person who had cared about and for him, who had protected him was gone, dead. Footsteps approached his room but he didn't react. Until he was given an order he wouldn't move. The door opened and someone walked in.

"Kenken." It was a purr filled with cruelty but he still didn't move. "How's my little whore?" Dull brown eyes blinked once but the slave didn't seem to have heard. A hand ran through dirty, grease-slicked hair almost lovingly. "On your feet!" At that Ken finally moved and staggered to his feet. It hurt so much to move but even though everything he did was jerky and slow the slave didn't utter a sound. 

//

It was always the same, nothing ever changed. Without even blinking Ken lay down on the bed and pressed his face into a pillow. He didn't want to see anything and if he could he would have covered his ears to block out the sounds too. Hands wandered over his abused body but he didn't flinch. Kase might beat him or he might not, it didn't matter, Ken didn't care. 

The hands pulled his legs apart and the brunette just let it happen. His mind was so lost, slow and jaded. Fingers probed him, added new pain to the old. A curse and a hard punch to his back. He knew what they meant; Kase was unhappy with the position he was in. Slowly Ken moved his knees slightly underneath his body to lift himself up from the mattress. His tormenter said something but he wasn't listening. 

Strong vicious fingers dug into his left hip, adding more bruises and even more pain. Something too hard and too big was forced inside of him and almost caused him to fall over, but he made no sound. His body screamed in objection as a scalding agony ran through him but Ken was unable to give voice to the pain. 

He wanted to scream, cry and get away but he couldn't move, couldn't quite get his brain to react to it properly. It hurt so much and he buried his face deeper into the pillow in an attempt to block out the moans. He didn't want to hear it, didn't want to acknowledge the pleasure the violation brought to his former owner. 

The pain had numbed him inside out so he just allowed Kase to do what he wanted. His lack of response and reaction to the act made his former owner angry and he trusted harder. Kase wanted to hear him scream in pain but since the slave couldn't, wouldn't, he had to work harder and longer to reach climax. Ken paid for it when Kase was done and again beat him into unconsciousness. The slave embraced the darkness and prayed that he was allowed to stay in it forever this time.

//

Ran paced his apartment and lit another cigarette. Normally he didn't smoke and found it disgusting but he needed something, anything to distract him. Not that it worked, nothing did. His entire brain was filled with Ken. 

At first he had tried to fool himself into thinking that he would find the slave unharmed and untouched but he knew better. Ken had been with Kase for almost two weeks so of course he wouldn't be anywhere near unharmed when, or rather if, Ran found him. 

The redhead's constant worry about his slave was tearing him apart. He couldn't sleep, eat or even function properly anymore. All he wanted was to find Ken and kill Kase, slowly and as cruelly as he could manage. That bastard was going to pay for everything he had ever done to Ken if it was the last thing Ran ever did. But first he had to find him and that was proving to be extremely difficult. 

Yoji was still trying desperately but so far no luck. The lanky blonde was almost as worried about the brown-eyed slave as Ran and he was doing everything he could. 

"Aya-kun." The pacing redhead stopped and turned to his cousin's slave. "Please you have to eat something." 

"I'm not hungry Omi," Ran growled at the small blonde. He didn't mean to be so snappy with Omi but he couldn't help himself.

"Not eating isn't going to bring Ken-kun back!" The redhead narrowed his amethyst eyes. Well the little blonde slave did have a point there. "I know you miss him and that you're worried sick about him but Aya-kun… this isn't helping. You need to eat something and then sleep." Too tired to argue Ran sighed and nodded.

"I know Omi, I know." Reluctantly he followed the boy into the kitchen and sat down.

"Try some soup. When you're done I want you to take some of those sleeping pills Doctor Ishida gave you and go to bed," Omi said with his soft voice firm and stubborn.

"Hn," Ran grunted but he knew that he was going to do as the little slave wanted. Omi was right after all so why struggle? The redhead finished eating and swallowed one of the pills he had been given before he headed for bed. He curled up underneath the blankets and buried his face in his pillow. It still smelled of Ken, or at least he imagined it did. 

_Please just let me find him,_ Ran begged, _please let him be all right. I love him; don't take him away from me._ No one answered his pleading and the pill he had taken was sending him to sleep. The brunette's name left his lips just before his eyes closed.

TBC

I'm sorry about the sick stuff in this chapter but when I sketched out the next chapter and the ones following I found that it sorta needs to be here. /sighs/ I hated writing that rape and I hated reading it even more /shudders/ Sorry if I've scarred any of you people /hangs head in shame/ Ja/Atsureki


	12. A Flicker Of Hope

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just borrowing them.

Paring: Ran/Ken.

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, sorta short chapter.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Chapter 12. A Flicker Of Hope

Something was different when he woke up. He was still in pain and his face felt like it had been ripped off of him and then smashed back on, but something was different. Carefully he moved a little and winced at the torment it caused his abused body. What was it that didn't feel the same? 

Confused he raised his left hand. Blanket. A soft blanket covered him and he wasn't on the floor anymore. It didn't make any sense to him right away and his brain was so tired and mixed up. He let out a small sigh and stopped moving. What did it matter where he was? 

So Kase had taken pity on him and allowed him to stay on the bed, it wasn't the first time. His sadistic former owner did that every now and then simply because it was too much of a bother for him to drag the slave back to his room. 

"Get up!" He obeyed the order without even thinking, just like he had for the last couple of days. The pain flashed through him but his face showed nothing. "Put these on!" Clothes were thrown at him and he obediently dressed himself with difficulty. There was something seriously wrong with two fingers on his right hand and it hurt to breathe. For a moment he looked up and froze. The man standing before him was not Kase. 

"Well? I don't have all day slave! Move it!" The stranger pointed to the door and tapped his foot. Ken started limping towards the door and almost fell to the floor. His body refused to carry his weight and the repeated beatings and rapes were causing him more pain than what should be possible.

"I… I can't walk," he croaked out as he carefully leaned against the wall.

"Perfect," the man growled with annoyance and disappeared for a moment. He returned with two other slaves. "Kase wants this slave cleaned up. Carry him to the bath and fix it!" The unknown slaves nodded and lifted him from the floor. They handled him like he was a sack of potatoes and added more hurt but he didn't make a sound. 

//

Most people would claim that there's nothing better than a hot bath or shower when in pain but Ken knew differently. Cuts, burns and rapes did not go well with hot water; it went even worse with soap. And still he didn't show any signs of the pain he was in except for a wince or two. 

It still felt like he body had no connection with his brain unless it was trying to inform his confused head that it was in serious pain. The pain was noted but nothing more happened, his brain was simply unable to understand what it was suppose to do about it. 

Hands washed him quickly, thoroughly and not too gently before he was dragged onto the cold floor. Being dried with rough towels made his bruises, cuts and burns pound with pain but this time Ken managed to give voice to it and a small croaked whimper escaped him. Didn't do him much good though since it was ignored completely. 

Clean, dressed in fresh clothes and with a body that knew nothing except the pain it was feeling Ken was placed in a chair. The man from before came into the room and eyed him slowly.

"Well he's clean at least," he muttered sourly and waved away the other two slaves. "In a few hours he'll be just as filthy and bloody again though." Ken winced slightly at those words but kept his brown dull eyes on the floor. He really hadn't expected anything else. "You better carry him to his room." 

Again he found himself being lifted and carried. He just wanted to sleep or preferably die but it didn't look like he was going to be allowed to do either. The two slaves dumped him on the cold hard floor in the tiny room he knew as his own. 

Unlike Kase's other slaves Ken had always been kept by himself. His former owner didn't want him anywhere near the others, didn't want him to be able to talk or interact with the rest of the slaves. Talking or any other kind of human contact might lift Ken's spirits and that was the last thing Kase wanted. 

Carefully the brunette curled up on the floor and closed his eyes. If he was lucky he would fall asleep and dream about Aya. He drifted off slowly and only because his body was so exhausted, if he hadn't been the pain would have kept him awake.

//

Ken woke up, or rather resurfaced, due to arguing voices just outside his room. He didn't move and just lie there listening. Both voices were familiar but the second one belonged to a man whose name he didn't know.

"I did what you told me!" Kase growled and the voice caused Ken to wince slightly.

"No, you did not to what I told you to Kase! I told you to get rid of Ran, which you didn't and I most certainly did not say anything about stealing his damn slave!" the second man roared. The brunette blinked slowly and lost interest. He didn't know any Ran.

"What the hell are you talking about? I did kill him damn it! I shot him twice," Kase objected. Ken listened more carefully. There was something in his former owner's voice, something that sounded like fear.

"Did you now? You're getting sloppy Kouichiro. Did you check if he was dead or did you just run straight to his apartment to get your little fuck-toy back?" It was quiet for a while. The brunette narrowed his eyes slightly. 

"I… I… Is he still alive?" Kase's question got no answer. "Takatori-sama I… I shot him twice I was certain that…"

"Be quiet!" the nameless man roared and slammed his fist into the door to Ken's room, causing the brunette to flinch. "You had but one job to do and that was to get rid of Fujimiya Ran also known as Abyssinian but you couldn't even get that right. Now thanks to your failure Kritiker is all over me and some damn PI named Kudou Yoji, who also happens to be Fujimiya's cousin, is snooping around." 

Ken felt his entire body go numb. This Ran-person was Aya? He knew that Aya's family name was Fujimiya and he also knew that Yoji was a PI but… but what about them calling Aya Ran? Of course Ken knew that Aya was a girl-name but he had never asked about it since it wasn't any of his business. 

"I'll sort this out Takatori-sama," Kase almost squeaked.

"NO! I don't want you anywhere near this. And get rid of that damn slave before someone finds out he's here."

"But he's mine!"

"You lost him in a card game Kase, deal with it. You have over 20 slaves, find someone else to fuck and beat up. GET RID OF HIM!"

"Hai Takatori-sama." Heavy footsteps passed the door and it became quiet.

"Aya," Ken mumbled and swallowed. Aya wasn't dead and he hadn't given him back to Kase. It was like someone had removed the lock that had been on the brunette's brain. He had to get back to Aya; he had to be with his owner. The question was how?

//

He was pulled from sleep by a small hand that gently shook him. Eyes opened and blinked a few times before they were able to focus on the little blonde standing beside the bed.

"Ohayou Aya-kun. Did you sleep well?" Omi almost chirped and gave the redhead a wide smile.

"Hn." He smiled even wider and his blue eyes sparkled. It wasn't like he had expected any other answer.

"I've made breakfast and Yotan is here." Omi's face turned serious. "I think he's found something." Ran was completely awake at once. He got up and ran a hand through he messy red hair before he headed towards the kitchen with the small blonde in tow. 

His cousin was sitting at the table smoking and the redhead only needed one look at his face to tell that whatever it was he had found it wasn't anything good.

"So?" Yoji looked up and knitted his brows together. "Well? Did you find anything?" Ran's voice was harsh and impatient.

"Do you know the first rule of holes?" the lanky blonde asked dryly.

"Nani?" Yoji took a long drag from his cigarette and tapped his slender fingers on the table.

"When you find yourself in one, stop digging!" he growled. "I've found myself in a hole and I think I better stop digging." Ran narrowed his amethyst eyes. He was about to object when Yoji raised his hand. "I'm in shit up to my elbows Aya and I don't fancy being drowned in it. Takatori sent some of his apes to my apartment last night."

"Takatori," the redhead spat out and his eyes were almost on fire.

"Easy there cousin! You can't go up against him and you know it. I have some good news however. It seems like Takatori is rather displeased with Kase and if he handles his business like he usually does there'll soon be one less spawn of the devil around. And to add to the not so good news… A German guy called Schuldig just bought several slaves from Kase, whether or not Ken was among those I don't know. If he wasn't then I'm not the only one waiting to paddle up shit-creek without a canoe. I highly doubt that Takatori is going to let Ken waltz out of there alive."

"Why not?" Ran muttered and tried to keep the worry from showing.

"Because the talk going around is that Takatori is seriously pissed of at Kase for taking Ken, just as he is extremely displeased with you still breathing. If my source is correct, which I'm sure he is, then Takatori wants Ken gone."

"Where the hell do you get this information from!?" the redhead growled and rubbed his aching head.

"This is Tokyo Aya, you can buy anything here as long as you're willing to pay for it. How do you think I got to be the best? I don't follow people around with my camera if that's what you thought," Yoji said with a sly smirk on his face even though his eyes were still worried. "I cost a lot because I prefer to buy my information rather then collect it myself. There are others who are far better than me when it comes to pressing glasses against walls to overhear stuff." 

Ran rose and walked out from the kitchen. They still didn't know where Ken was and now it didn't seem to matter; the brunette apparently had very little time left to live. The redhead sank down on his bed and willed himself to not cry.

"Wherever you are you have to find away to get away from him Ken, you have to!"

TBC

Um don't have much to say about this chapter. /thinks for a moment/ No can't think of anything /rubs her face/ But then it's 3:35 am and my brain is fast asleep… /huge yawn/ Oh sorry /blushes/ Didn't mean to yawn you right in the face /hangs head/ Gomen nasai minna-san. Ja/Atsureki


	13. Hilfe

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just borrowing them.

Paring: Ran/Ken.

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, Long chapter /nods/.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. Stuff marked # are explained at the end of the chapter

Now I got flamed in a review not long ago and I just think I should address this person, 'nya'. Firstly I must say that if you have something to say to me you should leave your e-mail addy, it's the polite thing to do. /nods/ And secondly… I did not write Daubed Raven, I haven't even read that fic /shrugs/ If you're going to complain about my writing at least get your facts straight! And lastly, I did not say that Ken was going to be dancing around in the sun the day after that doctor examined him. /frowns/ If you had been paying attention you'd know that the doctor said that he **should** be fine, and that it took Ken a month to recover and that he couldn't even go to the bathroom on his own.

Further more, Ken has been a slave for 8 years in this fic and he's been beaten just about every single day. Now as usual when I write I check the situation on myself. If I had been abused the same way Ken has here I must say that being beaten is probably nothing compared to being raped by known and unknown ppl who feel that it's their right to do so. Yes Ken is afraid of getting hit but as I try to show my readers in the chapter where he's back in Kase's hands; it's something that he can stand, something that doesn't really matter. What does matter to him is the fact that he's worthless in his owner's eyes, Aya is not included in this statement since he is different. 

I would also like to say that I write because I love writing and I can't please everyone! If you don't like this fic then don't read it, it's as simple as that! Should you feel the need to have a go at me and my writing again at least have the guts to leave an e-mail addy or go under your pen name. 

Don't get me wrong I can take criticism and I welcome it since it usually helps me write better but what you wrote was not criticism but pure flaming! From where I'm standing it looked more like you were just out to make me feel bad or something. There's no need to jump ppl like that and it's plain rude. If you think I'm being a bitch here then please feel free to think so. Your review made me rather annoyed…

Sorry for the babbling /smiles slightly/

Chapter 13. Hilfe#

It was dark so he had no way of knowing what time it was, not that it really mattered. Day and night were the same to him. The cold floor numbed his left side and his eyes refused to stay open no matter how hard he tried to keep them from falling shut. 

He was afraid to close them ever since he had overheard the conversation between Kase and the man called Takatori. They wanted to kill him. Sure he had wished for death more often than not since Kase had brought him back but now it was different. Aya was alive and somewhere inside Ken knew that the silent redhead was looking for him. 

That was why he couldn't give up, couldn't let Kase kill him. He had to go back to his owner, it was wrong for him to be anywhere else. If only he could escape. But how was he supposed to manage that? 

If he for a moment just ignored the fact that the house was filled with people, two guards at the front door and that the grounds surrounding it sported a steel fence there was still the fact that he barely could stand up, much less walk. 

Ken bit his lip in frustration. He was not going to die there damn it! For the first time in 8 years he had something to live for so he wasn't going to give up, refused to. What he needed was time, time to heal, time to come up with some sort of plan, but time was the last thing he had. 

Kase had managed to break him and now he was trying to hold on to what little hope he had left. The brunette knew all too well that if he hadn't learned that Aya was still alive he would have died one way or another. 

In his mind he could still feel the redhead's hands on his body, gentle fingers that ran through his hair, the sense of security when Aya had held him close, the taste of his owner in his mouth. 

Ken chewed on his lip and swallowed. He had to get away from Kase and find a way back to Aya!

//

Ken didn't know how long he had been asleep but when he woke up he was so cold and the pain, that had become a part of who he was, was worse than ever. His back felt like it was covered in an ice-cold fire. Every single inch of his skin pounded with pain and every breath threatened to rip him in two. 

He knew that his wounds were infected, that he had at least one, probably several, cracked or broken ribs. Whimpering in agony the slave carefully uncurled his aching body. It was quiet, too quiet. There usually wasn't a whole lot of loud noises around his room but he could always hear some sounds coming from his surroundings, but not now. 

With all the strength he could gather in his abused body he managed to get to his feet. Pain shot through him and caused him to yelp hoarsely. He had to lean against the wall in order to keep himself up and it made him hurt even more. 

Slowly he made his way to the door and rested for a while before he tried to open it. It was hard for him to use his hands since several of his fingers were swollen, disjointed or maybe broken. 

Ken frowned in frustration. He just wanted to get the hell out of there but how far would he get in his condition? After what seemed to be forever he finally managed to get the door open and carefully peeked out into the corridor. It was dusky and completely empty. Something was very wrong, something must have happened. 

Hanging on to the wall with all his might Ken hobbled out of his room. Where were all the slaves and guards? The slave wet his chapped lips and moved down the empty corridor like a crab, sideways, sliding his feet over the floor, slightly hunched over. 

If he just could make it to the stairs that would lead him to the first floor where the door to freedom was. Ken rested for a while and closed his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to climb stairs when he barely could walk at all? 

"Looks like we forgot one," a nasal voice suddenly said and Ken damn near fell to the floor as he swirled around. He cried out in pain and pressed himself against the wall. "Calm down, we're not going to hurt you." Ken squirmed to the left to put some more distance between himself and the man he now recognized. It was the red haired stranger and slightly behind him was the little brunette called Nagi.

"Master we have to get him out," Nagi said quietly and ran his midnight blue eyes over Ken.

"Ja. The question is what do we do with him after that? He needs a doctor but we can't take him to one. Besides, I'm fairly sure he has an owner somewhere…"

"Ken, it is Ken ne?" the little brunette asked and slowly approached the frightened slave. Ken nodded and backed up a little more. "Can I take a look at your collar?" Brown eyes observed the small slave for a long time before another nod was given.

"Clever Nagi," the redhead said quietly and glanced over his shoulder with concern in his green eyes. "Hurry up!"

"Hai Master," Nagi said and walked closer slowly. His small hands gently touched Ken's neck and the taller slave widened his eyes in fear. "Sch I'm not going to hurt you, I'm like you remember?" Fingers carefully removed the collar and Nagi took a step back. Ken swallowed and relaxed a little.

"So?"

"Says here he belongs to a Fujimiya-san, Master, there's no first name."

"Fujimiya?!" The redhead cursed silently. "Mist!# That's just fucking perfect."

"What's wrong Master?" They started talking in the strange language that Ken couldn't understand and Nagi's midnight blue eyes widened.

"Oh well there's nothing we can do about that now so let's just get the hell out of here before the cops arrive."

"But Schuldig we can't let anyone see us!" All of the sudden the yielding and submissive tone in Nagi's voice was gone and his eyes changed too.

"I know!" The redhead tapped his fingers against his thigh and thought for a moment. "We can't leave the country, we can't take him with us and we most certainly can't leave him here so…" It was quiet for a while. "Put his collar back on. I think I know what to do." Nagi nodded and did as he was told.

"Can you walk?" the little brunette asked when the collar was back in place. Ken eyed him before dropping his gaze to the floor. He didn't want to answer; he didn't want to be there.

"It's okay Nagi I'll help him." The man called Schuldig carefully approached the distressed slave and gently wrapped an arm around him. "Just lean on me Ken and we'll get you back to your owner."

//

Aya paced his apartment with a worried look on his face while Yoji watched him with concern in his eyes. It wouldn't take much longer before the redhead snapped. They still hadn't gotten anywhere near getting Ken back, or even finding him for that matter, and it was seriously starting to affect Aya. As far as the blonde knew his cousin didn't sleep, eat or do anything except pacing back and forth. 

"Is he doing that again?" Yoji turned around and smiled weakly at Omi.

"No, not again, still. I don't know how to help him Omi, I don't know what more I can do." The little blonde sank down on Yoji's lap and rested his head against a strong shoulder.

"Yotan you've tried your best." Yes he had but was it enough? Since Ken wasn't there the answer to that was no. Sighing he wrapped his arms around the small body and buried his face against Omi's neck.

"I just want to help him and I fucking can't. It makes me feel so damn useless!" he growled against the smooth skin.

"Ken-kun will come back!" Omi said quietly and caressed Yoji's hair. "He has to."

"I just keep wondering what I would do if it had been you. What would I do if you disappeared…" the tall blonde mumbled and tightened his hold. "I'd freak Omi, I'd fall apart just like Aya is doing right now."

"I'm not going anywhere Yotan." Yoji raised his head and looked into the little blonde's blue eyes. "I love you." 

"I love you too Omi so you better stay with me." Omi chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss the taller man. Yoji answered the kiss and then returned to hiding his face against the shorter blonde's neck. He couldn't even remember what it was like not to have Omi in his life and he most certainly didn't want to find out. 

It had taken him so damn long to figure out why the little energetic blonde was so damn important to him and when he finally got it he had been scared shitless. Omi had only been 15 back then and even though he might not act like it he was still a slave. 

The shear thought of approaching him like that was weird and Yoji knew all too well that the small blonde might react to it the way a slave 'should' by simply letting his owner do as he wanted. 

But in his worrying he had forgot that Omi was Omi. The blonde slave didn't think like a slave, didn't act like one either so his concern had been meaningless. Sometimes he still worried though. What if Omi loved him simply because he didn't know anything else? 

"Yotan!" The warning in Omi's soft voice caused him to smile. His lover knew him too well sometimes. "Why do you insist on thinking like that?" 

"Can't help it bishounen…" Omi rolled his eyes a little and kissed his cheek.

"I've never seen you as my owner, you know that. And technically you aren't even my owner, I still belong to your father, remember?" Yoji smiled slightly and nodded.

"You're right," he murmured and played with the thin collar around the small blonde's neck.

"Besides, even if I had a piece of paper that said I owned you we both know that it's the other way around." Omi laughed quietly.

"Aa you're all mine Yotan and don't you forget it."

"Like you'd ever let me." The both became silent and watched the distressed redhead who was still pacing.

//

Ran glanced at his cousin and the small slave on his lap. They looked so good together, so happy and even though he hated himself for it the redhead was jealous. What they had he wanted with Ken. He wanted the trust, the closeness and the openness that was between them. 

With a deep sigh he turned his attention back to his pacing. He was falling apart; it was even possible that he already had fallen apart. His brain knew nothing but the worry and longing that was attached to the fact that Ken was still missing, that the brown haired slave he had fallen in love with might be dead. 

Ran swallowed and pushed those thoughts away. He couldn't afford to think like that! Again he turned and continued his walking back and forth. His side and chest hurt and his body was not happy with him. The redhead sighed. He had tried to sleep but he just couldn't relax and he refused to take any pills for it. 

What if Ken turned up and he was drugged out of his mind? No, it was better not to sleep at all in that case. In a desperate attempt to get Ken back he had even called the police but they hadn't been able to do anything. He couldn't tell them that he knew that Kase had the slave and they had found no clues even if they indeed had suspected that Ken's former owner might have stolen him. 

It was just so Goddamn frustrating to know who had the brunette and not being able to do shit about it. Ran gritted his teeth and headed into the bedroom. Sighing again he picked up one of Ken's sweaters and stared at it for a long time. It was as shame that the slave didn't want to wear clothes that were less baggy. 

He had a beautiful body but he refused to let it show if he could avoid it. Not so strange though, the redhead realized. It must have been his body that had caused one of his previous owners to make him into a bed-slave. 

Ran shuddered. The thought of anyone forcing the brunette to do anything was disgusting and made him tremble in anger. For the umpteenth time he wondered what Ken would have been like if he never had become a slave. 

He sighed and sank down on the bed. The brunette would most likely never be like Omi, he had just been through too much for that, but Ran hoped that Ken at least would become less submissive, less frightened. 

If… The redhead narrowed his eyes and corrected himself. WHEN Ken returned he would do everything in his power to show him that the slave was loved, that he was needed. 

Ran hugged the sweater to his chest and forced back the tears. Since his sister had died he hadn't needed anyone, but he needed Ken. The sound of the doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts and he slowly rose to see who it might be.

//

He didn't know where they were going and he was too tired and in too much pain to be scared anymore. Nagi was holding him up and helped him to keep his back from touching anything. The green-eyed redhead was driving fast and when he talked he did it in the foreign language so Ken couldn't understand a word. 

It took him a while before he realized that he recognized the street and the buildings they drove by. Schuldig was heading towards the place where Aya lived? The brunette swallowed and felt how his heart started beating faster. They were really going to take him back to his owner.

"Aya," he mumbled and got a strange look from Nagi.

"Is that your owner Ken?" he asked softly. Ken froze for a moment but then he nodded shyly. A very small smile appeared on the little brunette's passive face. "You miss him, don't you?" Ken nodded again and kept his eyes lowered. The car stopped and he glanced up. 

"Ken do you think you can make it from here on your own?" Schuldig asked and turned around. The brunette blinked and bit his lip. It was about half a block to Aya's building but it didn't matter. For all he cared it could have been 500 miles and he would gladly crawl through fire just to get there. He nodded and the redhead smirked kindly at him. 

"Take care of yourself Ken," Nagi said and opened the door.

"A… arigatou," Ken mumbled and carefully got out and onto the sidewalk.

"No need to thank us Ken. I'm just sorry we couldn't get you away from that bastard sooner. And don't you worry about Kase anymore, he will never hurt you again," Schuldig chuckled with a cruel glint in his jade eyes. Ken looked at him for a moment before he nodded and started stumbling towards the building where he would find his owner. 

It was rather late and the streets were pretty much deserted, which he was thankful for. The last thing he needed was anyone seeing him. He had no idea of how he looked but by the feel of it his face was most likely black and blue. Panting for air Ken stopped to rest for a moment. It was so hard to breathe and his knees were all wobbly. 

He clenched his jaws together and stumbled forward again. _Aya. Aya. Aya, _he chanted inside with each step he took. He was so close and yet it seemed so far. Gritting his teeth against the pain he finally reached the front door of Aya's building. Exhausted and dizzy he leaned his forehead against it. 

The cool surface felt nice and all he wanted to do was sleep for just a minute or a week but he couldn't, not yet. Carefully he straightened up and glared at the heavy door. He couldn't grip the handle but he figured he'd be able to pull it open if he just could get his arm between the door and the handle. 

Slowly he started moving and hissed when his muscles stretched. God that hurt his chest and back but he stubbornly kept on pulling. With a low creak the door opened a little and he shoved his foot into the chink to keep it from closing. 

After having rested for a while again, Ken used his arm and his leg to pry the door open enough to get inside. He huffed carefully when he finally stood in the dark corridor. It felt like he had climbed Mount Everest. He limped over to the elevators and headed up to the floor where his owner would be. 

Ken blinked a few times as he swayed from side to side. Black dots were starting to cloud his vision and his head felt funny. A 'bing' and the doors opened. There it was, home, safety, Aya. Ken whimpered and stumbled out of the elevator. Just a few more steps and he'd be there. 

Annoyed he shook his head to get rid of the black dots and leaned against the wall. Now all he had to do was ring the bell. With the last of his strength the brunette raised his shaky hand and pressed it. Never in his life had a doorbell sounded so lovely. 

His knees refused to support him anymore but he was home again and in a moment Aya would be there so what did it matter if he was lying on the floor? It hurt when his legs folded and he slid down the wall but he was too tired to care.

"Aya," he whispered and rested his flushed face against the cool wall. His eyes closed and his body sagged. He just had to rest, had to shut down for just a moment. Someone was walking up to the door so he would be safe. 

"Aya," Ken breathed out again before his body finally gave up on him and dragged him away.

TBC

# Hilfe = Help, Mist! = Damn!, Shit!, Crap!.

Ken's back!!! /hugs Nagi and Schuldig/ But he's hurt and stuff /worried look/ And I can't help but wonder what happened to Kase? 

And wasn't Yoji and Omi just too cute? /laffs/ Hope I didn't make anyone sick /chuckles/ Ja/Atsureki


	14. Broken

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just borrowing them.

Paring:  Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, this chapter made me cry but then I'm a sap so you prolly don't have anything to worry about /rolls eyes at myself/

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Chapter 14. Broken

Ran walked out from his bedroom and almost crashed into Omi who apparently was heading for the door too. Blue eyes looked up at him and a smile followed.

"It's okay I'll get it," the redhead mumbled and managed a weak one-sided smile of his own. Omi didn't say anything; he just smiled wider and went back to the living room. Ran sighed and took a peek through the peephole. The corridor outside seemed completely empty. "That's odd," he shrugged and turned around to go back to his depressing thoughts, but something stopped him. 

Frowning deeply he unlocked the door and pulled it open. His amethyst eyes looked at the empty corridor for a moment. _I'm going insane,_ he growled inside as he lowered his gaze slightly. Ran froze; his breathing paused and so did his heart by the feel of it. On the floor was a huddled form leaning against the wall. The only thing the redhead recognized was an unruly mop of chocolate colored hair. 

_KEN!_ his mind screamed and desperately tried to kick his body into moving but it remained still. It felt like he stood there forever and stared at the man who had become so important to him.

"Aya?" Yoji's voice brushed through him without Ran noticing. "Aya!?" his cousin asked again, louder. The redhead blinked once and snapped out of the numb state he had been in.

"Ken!" Ran croaked out and dropped to his knees beside the slave. Gently he pulled the limp body away from the wall and winced when he saw the brunette's face. It was swollen, bruised and criss-crossed with cuts. "YOJI!" he called out and carefully picked Ken up from the floor. "Call an ambulance!" The sound of running feet approached him from behind.

"What?!" Ran hugged the brunette to his chest as tears rolled down his pale cheeks.

"Call an ambulance," he whispered and pressed his forehead against Ken's.

//

Omi glanced at the redhead who sat beside him. Aya hadn't moved for a long time and his eyes were staring at the floor. Pale hands were neatly placed in his lap but they were trembling slightly. The small slave turned his head and met Yoji's concerned eyes. 

They had heard nothing about Ken's condition and it was hell sitting there completely in the hands of the people who had snatched the brown haired slave away. Omi smiled weakly at his lover and returned his gaze to the redhead. A movement in the corner of his eyes made the young man look up. Beside them stood a short man with bushy eyebrows.

"I'm Doctor da Mota. I believe you came with hm…" He paused to check his papers. "Ken?" Yoji rose and nodded.

"Hai. How is he?" Green eyes looked over to Aya who still hadn't moved.

"Which one of you is his owner?" At the word owner the tall blonde winced.

"He is," Yoji answered with a nod towards his cousin.

"I see… Would you please follow me to my office?" The blonde nodded again and turned to Aya.

"Aya?" Dazed amethyst eyes met green. "Come on cousin." He pulled the redhead to his feet and led him after the doctor.

"Please have a seat," Doctor da Mota said as they entered a spacious office. Yoji pushed the redhead down on a chair and sat down beside him. Omi remained standing slightly behind the tall blonde while his blue eyes observed the surroundings.

"Where's Ken?" The hushed question drew three pairs of eyes to Aya.

"He's in recovery Fujimiya-san. I take it you're not the one responsible for the state Ken's in?" There was accusation in that voice. Omi heard Yoji growl and placed a small hand on his lover's shoulder.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that question," the tall blonde hissed and set his jade eyes on the doctor who got a guilty expression on his face.

"Please just tell me he's okay," Aya pleaded and lifted his sad eyes from the floor.

"I'd love to Fujimiya-san but Ken is far from okay. We've spent the last hour operating on him. He had several cracked ribs and one broken that almost punctured his left lung. Right now we're giving him fluids because he is dangerously dehydrated. Further more he's been whipped. Those are the most serious injuries at the moment but…" Omi swallowed and forced his tears back. "But he is also fighting an infection and he has been raped several times." 

A low whimper was heard from Aya sounding like it came from a wounded animal. The little blonde moved from Yoji's side and wrapped his arms around the redhead's shoulders. He knew that Aya didn't like it when people touched him but right now he needed it. 

"That bastard!" Yoji's voice cut through the air like the lash from a whip. "I'm gonna rip his fucking head off when I get my hands on him!" The lanky blonde shot up from his chair, in a flash he was gone and the door slammed shut behind him. 

"You… you better go after him Omi," Aya mumbled and straightened up. Omi nodded and reluctantly let go.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Just go after my cousin before he does something stupid." The redhead's voice was shaky but some of the usual coldness was back. Omi patted his shoulder before he ran after his lover.

//

Ken's room was white, sterile and smelled like antiseptics. The slave who lay on the bed was a ghostly shade of grey and he didn't move. Ran held the limp hand in his tighter and closed his eyes. He was scared of looking at Ken just as he was afraid of looking elsewhere for even a second, fearing that that brief moment would somehow take the brunette away from him again. 

At the moment they were alone while Omi tried to calm Yoji down. The lanky man was angry with himself for not being able to help Ken and Ran understood even though he couldn't do anything about it. Right now the only thing he could focus on was the slave who meant everything to him. 

Sighing softly he brought Ken's hand to his face and gently brushed his lips against the cool skin. Doctor da Mota had told him that they were keeping the slave sedated for the time being. His back was in a bad shape but due to his damaged ribs they couldn't allow him to lie on his stomach, which would have been less painful for him. 

"You have to be alright," Ran mumbled and squeezed Ken's hand. "I can't lose you, I just can't." It might be selfish but he didn't really care. He needed the brunette more than he had needed anyone in so long.

"Aya-kun?" The redhead glanced over his shoulder and saw Omi standing behind him.

"Aa."

"I'm taking Yotan home…" the little blonde said quietly with his blue eyes set on Ken's face. Aya nodded slightly.

"Take care of him Omi and tell him that this isn't his fault." 

"It's not your fault either Aya-kun," Omi sighed and came up to him. "Call us if there's any change." 

"I will," he promised. The little slave gave his cheek a kiss and left again.

//

Screams echoed through the long corridor. Nurses ran back and forth, as the pain filled cries got louder and louder. For a moment Ran just stared before his confused head realized where they were all headed. 

Yet another white-clad woman disappeared into Ken's room and the redhead got moving. Those screams came from the brunette. Quickly he ran towards the door only to find it blocked by a male nurse.

"You can't go in there Fujimiya-san," he stated firmly and grabbed Ran's shoulder.

"Get out of my way!" the redhead barked and shoved the man to the side before he almost fell into the room. His amethyst eyes froze on the scene playing out in front of him. 

On the bed was a hysteric Ken, screaming and waving his arms like a madman while nurses and doctors tried to keep him down. The slaves upper body was naked, except for the white tape that was suppose to keep his ribs fixated. 

For a brief moment panicked brown eyes looked into Ran's and Ken reached out his hand almost as if he was pleading for help.

"Fujimiya-san would you please leave the room," Doctor da Mota said harshly and glared at the tall redhead. 

"No!" Ran almost yelled and pushed his way towards the bed. "Stop it! You're scaring him!!" With a last shove he got a few of the nurses away from Ken. The redhead caught one of the slave's hands in his and squeezed it gently. "Calm down Ken," he said softly while his heart raced. "Sch, no one is going to hurt you, I won't let them." Brown eyes looked at him, fear shining in them.

"We have no choice… Sedate him again!" Ken winced at the harsh tone. Ran whipped his head around and glared at the man who had spoken. 

"Stay the hell away from him!" 

"Don't hurt me," the brunette begged and moved closer to his owner.

"Ken, look at me." The slave did as he was told. "They're not going to hurt you, okay? Just listen to me. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you." A sob escaped Ken's throat and he more or less threw himself at Ran. "Sch… I'm right here." He could feel how the brunette relaxed a little and wrapped his arms around the shaking body.

"Fujimiya-san! He can't continue to move around like that, it'll hurt his ribs! We have to clean his wounds and it's obvious he's not going to let us do that which means we have to sedate him!" Cold amethyst eyes bore into dark brown. 

"That's because you're scaring him half to death! Why wasn't I told that he was awake?" Ran growled and caressed Ken's hair.

"We do have more important things to do than track owners down," Doctor da Mota growled and came closer. Ken's body immediately tensed and he let out a low whimper of fear.

"I suggest you back up a little," the redhead snarled and gently pushed the slave down on the bed. "It's his back, ne?" He was given a nod. "Fine I'll make sure you can tend to that, but I want everyone who doesn't have to be in here to get the hell out!" The room cleared in an instant, leaving only the doctor and one nurse behind.

"We're waiting." The short man with the bushy eyebrows got a nasty look from Ran.

"Ken, they have to check your back."

"No, please," the slave whimpered in fear and clung to the redhead's arms.

"Don't worry I'm not gonna leave you." Ran pondered the situation for a moment. Ken's right side was more or less unharmed so his idea should work. "Ken could you roll towards me?" The brunette was trembling but he obeyed and turned onto his right side. Ran pulled him close and ran his fingers through the slave's soft hair. "Can you stay like this for a while?" Ken nodded against his stomach. "Okay do your thing," the redhead muttered to da Mota. 

"This will take a while." Skilled fingers started removing the pads that covered the long deep cuts and with each one that went Ken winced and trembled.

"I know it hurts Ken," Ran murmured with regret and hugged the trembling form. He had to look away when the slave's back was completely exposed. Ken had been whipped all right. The normally smooth tanned skin was criss-crossed with angry, swollen stripes. 

da Mota's hands wandered over the cuts until they rested on Ken's lower back and Ran somehow knew what was going to happen even before it did. Without any warning the brunette went from still to wild. His body trashed back and forth as he tried to get away from the touch.

"Get someone in here to hold him down!"

"NO!" The redhead's baritone boomed through the room as his hands grabbed Ken's arms. "Let him go!" He was obeyed reluctantly and the short man let go of his hold. "Sch calm down Ken. Hey, look at me." Pained brown eyes met amethyst. "He's not going to do anything, he's not going to force you to do anything." It wasn't working this time, the brunette didn't relax and the panic in his eyes didn't subside at all. "Doctor da Mota this isn't working."

"We have no other choice than to sedate him."

"I'm not going to let you do that! Leave the room," Ran grated out. With a huff and a snort the doctor stepped out, taking the nurse with him. 

//

It took Ran forever to calm the brunette down even after they were left alone. He had never felt so helpless in his life before. What the hell was he supposed to do? Someone had to tend to those wounds but he simply refused to allow them to sedate Ken again. It wouldn't do the slave any good and they couldn't very well sedate him every time they had to touch him. 

The redhead frowned as he tried to work the kinks out of his stiff back. He had been standing for way too long with Ken cradled in his arms. The brunette trusted him but he didn't trust anyone else; at least not people he had never seen before. 

Ran frowned slightly. But what about that female doctor who had taken care of the slave just when he had arrived at Ran's place? He nodded to himself and carefully eased the now sleeping Ken down onto the bed. It was worth a try at least.

TBC

Poor Ken /sniffles/ He's so scared! But Ran will take care of him nods And damn that doctor for not understanding!

I feel bad for Yoji too who's blaming himself for not being able to find Kenken. Not his fault! Let's hope that Doctor Ono can help ne? 

Oh and a mega huge thank you to all you lovely ppl who love this story!! /glomps each and every one of you/ All your reviews and e-mails makes me so happy and they really do fuel my muse /pets the muse/ You ppl are da best! Ja/Atsureki


	15. The One And Only Enemy

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: This is getting real old. /sighs/ They aren't mine I'm just borrowing them. The lyrics used aren't mine either they're taken from the song Take This Heart sung by Return, but I do own the CD the song is on /nods proudly/

Paring: Ran/Ken

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai. OCC, Angst, Slavery.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts, the little voice that speaks in Ken's head or lyrics. 

Chapter 15. The One And Only Enemy

_I Iook into the mirror and I see  
My one and only enemy  
And he won't go away_

Ran paced back and forth as he waited for Doctor Ono to show up. The slave was still asleep which the redhead was thankful for. Ken had been so scared and Ran could only hope that he somehow could erase that. Sighing deeply he stopped beside the other man's side and ran his fingers through soft brown hair. 

It felt like he was at a loss about everything, his feelings, his fears, what to do, what not to do… Ran gritted his teeth and scowled at himself. At the moment his feelings for Ken didn't matter, couldn't matter. First he had to make sure that the brunette was all right, or at least as close to all right as he could get. 

"Fujimiya-san?" He turned around and nodded to the small woman who entered the dusky room. "Oh dear," she muttered when her calm brown eyes found the sleeping slave. 

"Help him," Ran mumbled since it was the only thing he could think of to say.

"I'll do my best Fujimiya-san. Let's see what my incompetent colleague says about this." She picked up the slave's journal. It was quiet while she read the pages. "Seems unhappy with physical contact?" Doctor Ono read out loud with a huff and tossed the journal on the chair next to the bed. "No shit Sherlock." 

"Unhappy?" Ran echoed with disbelief in his amethyst eyes.

"Understatement of the year, no doubt. Okay, first I have to clean those wounds on his back and he's still slightly dehydrated," the short woman mumbled to herself as she carefully took a look at Ken's back. "What happened when they tried to tend to them earlier?" The redhead shuddered at the memory.

"He freaked, panicked completely. I got him to calm down but when da Mota started removing the pads he was in a lot of pain and then he touched Ken's lower back and all hell broke loose."

"It wasn't pain Fujimiya-san. Right now you could probably break both of Ken's legs without him even batting an eye. He's on tons of pain killers," Ono growled and nodded to the journal. "Have you seen the bruises on his back and hips?" Ran nodded. "Whoever raped him grabbed him there, you can see the finger marks. That's why he panicked." The redhead rubbed his forehead and carefully sat down next to his slave.

"Kami-sama! And I forced him to go through that even after promising him I wouldn't let anyone hurt him." A small hand patted his knee.

"Now, now, that's not your fault. Who did this too him? I'm just going to assume that it was the same sicko as last time," Ono sighed and placed a glass of water in Ran's hands.

"His former owner. That fucking rat bastard! I should have ripped his damn head off when I had the chance!"

"With a little luck you'll get another chance," she nodded calmly with a hint of a smirk on her face. "The good news here is that Ken trusts you, otherwise he wouldn't have let you anywhere near him. We can work with that and… pray that he comes around again. Do you think you could try to wake him up?"

"Aa," Ran answered and carefully touched the brunette's shoulder. "Ken?" The slaved jerked away from the touch and frightened brown eyes opened. "Sch it's just me."

"A… Aya?" Ken stammered and blinked. The redhead took the slave's hand in his and gently held it.

"It's just me and Doctor Ono. You remember her, ne?" Ken glanced at the small woman and licked his chapped lips.

"Hai."

"Good now she's gonna take care of your back, is that okay?" The slave tensed and pressed himself against Ran's side. "Look at me Ken. It's just her and me in here, no one else. I'll stay with you the whole time and if she does anything you don't like tell me and I'll get rid of her, okay?" Ken looked into his eyes for a long time before he nodded.

"Hello there Ken," Ono said softly and slowly walked in front of the slave to give him a chance to look at her. The brunette lowered his eyes.

"Hi," he whispered and tightened his grip on his owner's clothes.

"Ken how do you want to do this? Where do you want to be?" Pleading brown eyes met concerned amethyst. 

"Sch. Do you want to lie here on my lap like this? On your side?" The slave nodded and buried his face against Ran's stomach.

"Okay you just stay there and I'll be as quick as I can." Doctor Ono fetched what she needed to clean the whip marks and carefully got to work. The redhead closed his eyes as she started tend to the infected wounds. He could feel Ken tremble against him and did his best to calm the slave down by caressing his hair. "I'm gonna take care of the ones on your lower back now Ken, is that all right with you?" The brunette whimpered slightly but nodded against his owner's body.

"I'm right here Ken," Ran said softly and continued to run his fingers through the brown hair. It took time but the scared slave remained calm.

"There, all done. I'm just going to dress them again and then you can lie down," Ono sighed quietly and covered the ugly stripes with white pads. When she was done she pulled a blanket over the slave's trembling form and stepped back. "Fujimiya-san could I talk to you outside for a moment?" The redhead looked down at Ken who still hid against him.

"Is that okay with you Ken?" The brunette looked up slightly and reluctantly nodded. "I'll be back in a moment," Ran promised and carefully eased Ken from his lap.

//

"I don't think this matters to you but I think it'll matter to Ken," Doctor Ono said once they were out of the room. "There's gonna be scars Fujimiya-san, scars that won't disappear." Ran sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not worried about the scars on his skin Doctor Ono, but I am worried about the ones inside." She nodded and leaned against the wall.

"Those are gonna stick for a long time. My suggestion is that you try to touch his back as much as possible. Ken has to get used to that and it'll be hard for him. Right now his mind connects touches there with being raped, but I think he'll accept it if it's you. I can't even begin to understand the hell he's been through and it'll take time and love to heal him," she said quietly and looked into the redhead's concerned eyes.

"I don't know what to do and I'm so scared that I'll just make it worse," Ran confessed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Just be gentle with him and take care of him," Ono sighed. "I can see that you care a lot about him and that's what he needs. You have to understand that right now Ken is his own one and only enemy. He's the one who's going to hold himself responsible for what happened and you're the one who will have to convince him otherwise. It would probably be a good idea to show that you need him, I doubt he's ever been needed before." The redhead looked at the woman thoughtfully and nodded. She was probably right and he did need Ken, a lot. "I'll be back to check on him in a few hours." Ran watched the small woman as she walked away and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

//

Ken should have been kept at the hospital for at least a week but was sent home after just two days. Ono ignored the protests from da Mota and sternly stated that the slave would be more relaxed in a place he knew and felt safe in. Ran hoped that that was true because he couldn't stand the constant fear in Ken's eyes, the wincing and whimpering every time someone he didn't know stepped into the room. 

With uncertainty he took the brunette home and settled him in his own bed. He didn't do anything but tend to Ken and he refused to leave his home. A week passed by but the abused slave showed no signs of coming out of his shell. He didn't speak unless forced to and it was a struggle to get him to eat anything. 

Ran watched in desperation as the brunette started to pull away from his touches and felt more and more lost. It didn't seem like anything was working. The redhead sadly observed his slave as he tried to fight the nightmares that plagued him constantly. 

"Ken," he said softly and sat down beside the shorter man. Like always his gentle hand on Ken's shoulder caused the brunette to wince and jerk away. "It's just me." Brown eyes fluttered opened and looked at him with hidden emotions. That was another thing that really pained Ran. 

Ken had started to hide what he was feeling, shutting himself away from the real world. With a sigh he pulled the covers up around the trembling man and left him alone. What was he suppose to do if things didn't get better? 

Ken wasn't a dog or a cat Ran could just hand over to someone else, he was a human being and the though of spending the rest of his life taking care of the brunette when he was like that wasn't something Ran looked forward to. But what could he do, no matter how hard things were he still loved Ken too much to give up on him. 

//

He had moved away from the touch even though he craved it. His body demanded Aya's caresses just as it longed to hear that deep and smooth voice, but it wasn't that easy. Ken knew that his owner would never hurt him, that if anyone was going to be what he needed it was the redhead and yet his brain told him to not allow it. 

He was filthy, stained by Kase's touch and he would do anything not to transfer it to Aya. Aya was pure, an angel in the brunette's eyes and his own hands so dirty. How could the redhead possibly want to even be near him? A part of his messed up mind chanted that it would have been better for Aya if Ken had just stayed away. 

With effort he carefully got up from the bed and limped over to the bathroom. He stopped in front of the mirror and stared at himself. Empty, emotionless brown eyes stared into a face that still sported bruises. 

"You didn't even fight him," a cracked voice said and the brunette watched in wonder how his own mouth moved. "You belong to Aya and still you allowed Kase to take you." Ken raised a trembling hand to brush away the chocolate colored hair that kept on falling into his eyes. "They were all right, you really are useless." 

He swallowed and lowered his face. _How can you even live with yourself?_ a dry voice asked. _I bet you even enjoyed every time Kase took you, that you cherished feeling him inside of you!_ Ken whimpered and shook his head.

"No," he objected weakly. "It hurt, it hurt so much." 

_Yeah, and? It's not like you deserve anything but pain! You're nothing but a whore Kenken, a filthy used whore who gave himself willingly to someone he didn't even belong to! Aya would have treated you right but you just gave up, gave in. Now he'll never want you! Hell, the one time he did want you; you pushed him away even though you had no right. You've forgotten your place Kenken and he'll never forgive you for that!_

It wasn't the first time that voice had told him those things and the brunette could help but believe what it was saying. Besides, it wasn't the first time he had allowed someone else to take him even though he belonged to the redhead either. Hell he had messed up on his first day there with that doctor. 

As his mind wandered so did his eyes and they landed on something shiny and sharp. Ken bit his lip and absentmindedly rubbed the tape that covered his broken ribs. He'd do anything to keep himself from disappointing his owner again, anything. The brunette reached out and grabbed a hold of the thin piece of metal. _That's right Kenken. Now answer me! How can you even live with yourself? _He stared at it for a moment before he answered the question.

"I… I can't." _Then you know what you must do. For once in your life do something right Kenken. Do it! Do it now!_

_The truth is hard, what can I say?  
It's getting harder every livin' day_

_Take this heart and heal it  
Make it start, make me feel it  
Do it now_

_Take this heart and heal it  
Can't you see how bad I need it  
Do it now_

TBC

Well I'll be damned! I managed to get out a chapter. /phew/ I hope you all liked it and I hope the next one won't take so damn long for me to write. 

I feel so bad for Ken and when I wrote this that song kept on popping up in my head because those first three lines really fits Ken's right now. He really is his own one and only enemy. 

And we have another cliff-hanger /deep sigh/ Sorry ppl but I can't seem to not have them… Ja/Atsureki


	16. The Last Resort

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I don't own them, don't even know anyone who does, so leave me alone /whines/

Paring: Ran/Ken

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, Short Chapter.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

I've gotten complaints about the chapters being short and well I'm sorry but it's either short chapters or no chapters /sighs/ I'm fighting my writer's block with all I have! I think most of my readers rather see short chapters that are posted with less time in between than long one that you'll have to wait for for ages and ages, ne? Gomen, gomen…

Chapter 16. The Last Resort

_Well isn't that funny, _Ken thought as he watched crimson blood fill the shallow test cut on his arm. How could his blood be so pure and untainted when his body and soul were so filthy? A hollow chuckle escaped him and he winced at the sound. The slave shook his head to clear his thoughts and placed the razor over a bulging vein. 

He could almost see the life that ran through it. For a moment he just stared, then he licked his lips, pressed harder and started moving his hand. It hurt, a lot, but he refused to stop until he had a gash that was about 4 inches long. Blood oozed from it, spilled over his pale skin before it started dripping onto the white tiles on the floor. 

The voice in his head was gone now and he felt strangely at ease. Finally he was doing something right in his life, something that wasn't for him but that he had made the decision about. Ken smiled weakly and blinked in annoyance when his vision started to blur. He had to hurry before he became too weak. Quickly he took the sharp blade in the other hand and prepared to repeat what he had done moments before. It was harder this time because his hand was shaking.

"You selfish little bastard!" The hard angry voice caused him to jump and the razor fell to the floor. The brunette's head snapped to the right and he stared at his owner. Without a word Aya walked up to him, picked up the blade and shoved it into Ken's unwilling hand. He didn't understand what was happening so he just continued to stare at his owner. 

"Well? Aren't you going to finish what you started? I thought you were eager to get away from me Ken," the redhead said coldly and nailed his amethyst glare to the slaves eyes. "I don't have all day you know! And you're making a mess, bleeding all over my damn floor!"

"I… I…" There was something in those violet eyes that he couldn't quite read but it wasn't anger, it actually looked a lot like despair.

"Damn it Ken! Why are you doing this to yourself, to me?!" Aya yelled and yanked the slave's numb body into his arms. His voice wasn't hard and cold anymore, it was just desperate, scared. Ken swallowed and hid his face against the redhead's soft shirt. "Am I really that awful Ken? Do you really hate me so much that you would kill yourself just to get away from me?" 

The brunette's thoughts raced. That wasn't it at all; he hadn't meant to upset Aya like that. Gentle fingers wrapped a towel over the cut and carefully pressed down. Ken hissed when the pain returned and buried his face deeper into the fabric of his owner's clothes. All of the sudden dying didn't seem very appealing anymore. He didn't want to leave Aya and he most certainly didn't want the redhead to be upset about what he was doing.

"I'm sorry." Aya let out a snort and sat the brunette down on the toilet.

"Sorry for what Ken? For trying to kill yourself?" Ken shook his head and refused to look up. "You're not sorry for trying to take your own life?!" He shook his head again.

"I'm… I'm sorry for… for up… upsetting you," the slave stammered with hesitation. God he was seriously digging his own grave here.

"What?! Damn! You need a doctor!" Aya stomped out of the bathroom cursing all the way.

//

He slammed the phone down and tossed a book across the room in shear frustration. Ken had been bleeding badly and he was sorry for upsetting him? Ran gritted his teeth and pushed away the fear that rocked his body until he wanted to break down and cry. 

Doctor Ono was in the bedroom doing her best to patch up the slave and the redhead was again at a loss, or perhaps it was still. He sighed and ran a hand through his crimson hair. 

"Fujimiya-san?" 

"Aa."

"He's asleep now," the little woman said and sat down on the couch. "He'll be fine, physically that is. His mind I'm not so sure about."

"It doesn't matter, there's nothing I can do." Ran winced at his own words that had slipped out unasked. Did he really believe that? 

"Oh." Ono frowned at him and sighed. "I know this is hard but…"

"There's nothing more I can do and I'm too tired to continue," the redhead confessed with a heart that was breaking into a million pieces. "Whatever I do it's not going to help him and I won't do it anymore. When can I send him on his way?" The petit woman's eyes grew hard and frosty.

"Well… He needs rest and he can't use his arm for a while but other than that…"

"Good. I've arranged for someone to pick him up in a few hours." With those words Ran left the living room and headed to the kitchen. "Please let this be the right thing to do," he begged and hid his face in his hands. "Just let him be okay." 

This was his last resort, the only thing he could think of that might save the slave that he loved so much and he just hoped that Ken would be all right now. And he hoped that he could live with his decision because right now it hurt like a bitch and threatened to tear him apart.

//

Ken looked around the unfamiliar room and fought the tears. He had been punished more times than he could remember but he didn't think anything had ever hurt this much. Aya hadn't hit him, hadn't touched him and still the redhead had managed to crush his heart. His owner had sent him away, had given up on him. 

Four hours after his wound had been taken care off Yoji had arrived and taken him with him. Aya had said nothing, hadn't even come near him. Now he… Ken let out a sob and closed his brown eyes. Now he no longer belonged to the red haired man he had fallen in love with. 

He had been sold. The tag on his collar no longer claimed that he belonged to Fujimiya; it said Kudou. Sure Yoji would treat him well but that didn't seem to matter. For all he knew Aya had sold him to his cousin simply because it was the quickest way to get rid of him. Carefully he shifted to lie on his side and stared at the white bandage that covered the cut. He had made yet another mistake, his worst ever. 

"Ken-kun?" The brown haired slave didn't answer, didn't even show any sign that he had heard Omi. "You have to eat something." Ken's eyes remained close and his body didn't move. 

What did it matter if he ate or not? Eating would make things all right. Omi sighed and left him alone again. It would have been better if Kase had killed him like he was supposed to. Ken swallowed back a sob and curled up into a ball as much as his damaged ribs allowed him to. 

//

"We have a problem, a big one," a rough voice growled. 

"What is it now?!" the woman he was talking to muttered with annoyance without looking up from the folder she was reading from.

"Cops," was the only answer. That finally drew her eyes from the papers.

"Cops?" she asked harshly and glared at him.

"They've linked the deaths to Him through the slave." The woman banged her fist into the desk and rose.

"Fuck! What about us?"

"As far as we can tell they have done what we pay them for. We're not mentioned," the man answered and cautiously watched her from the corner of his eyes as she paced the office.

"This is just great! I told Him but did He listen? Oh no, He never listens to me!"

"What do we do? The cops are heading over to His place so if we're going to do something it'll have to be now." She stopped her pacing and set her cold eyes on the man who squirmed slightly. A cruel smile suddenly appeared on her beautiful face.

"They want Him, ne?" She was given a nod. "Well then let them have Him. He's just one man and I doubt He'd have stayed much longer. We simply need to cut our losses and erase all traces," the woman shrugged and tapped her long nails on her arm. "One dog more or less." The man nodded and hurried out of the room. "Sayonara, Abyssinian," she smirked, ran a hand through her red hair and sank back down into her chair.

//

Ran hated his apartment, hated the silence, hated the white walls, hated that Ken wasn't there anymore. He wanted to call his cousin to ask about the slave but he wouldn't, couldn't do that. The less he had to do with Ken the better. He had let the brunette go for a reason and if he so much as spoke that name out loud he'd crumble and succumb to the longing. 

Yoji would take good care of the slave and so would Omi. But even though the redhead knew that a part of his mind still argued that he had acted without thinking. Maybe he had given up too soon? Maybe Ken would have been all right if he had just explained that he loved the scarred slave? Maybe Fujimiya Ran was nothing but a big coward? 

He sighed sadly and stared at the spot on the floor where he had first seen Ken. The brunette had been sitting there on his knees, covered with bruises, cuts and burns, naked. Ran swallowed and rubbed his forehead to fight the headache that throbbed there. 

To his annoyance the doorbell interrupted his mulling. Growling he went to the door and opened it without checking who it was. Outside his door stood three men in suits and behind them several police officers.

"Are you Fujimiya Ran?" the oldest of the suits asked coldly.

"Aa."

"We have a warrant for your arrest." Before Ran could object he was pushed against the wall and his hands were linked together by a pair of handcuffs behind his back. "Fujimiya Ran you are under arrest for murder, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" The redhead's head spun. What the hell was this? Had someone managed to link him with Kritiker? A hard poke in his back snapped him out of his frantic thoughts. "Do you understand these rights?!" All he could do was nod numbly and then they dragged him out the door and down the corridor.

TBC

I know that Ran was pretty um mean and stuff when he found Ken but he was right. It was selfish of Ken to try to take his own life even if he doesn't know just why Ran was so upset.

So, Ken has been sold and now belongs to Yoji and poor Ran is arrested for murder but the murder of who? Nice of Kritiker to just hand him over like that wasn't it. /snorts/ Never did like them! 

Oh and ain't everyone proud at how fast I got this chapter out huh, huh, HUH? I know I am /phew/ My muse hates me now but at least I got another part out!! Ja/Atsureki


	17. Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I don't own them, don't even know the one who does, so leave me alone /whines/

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery, Short Chapter.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

And of course thanks to everybody else who reviews this fic. Every time I get stuck I read through them and I get small ideas and it usually gives my muse a kick in the ass and believe me THAT IS NEEDED!!! /glares at her/ Arigatou minna-san! /bows humbly/

Chapter 17. Between A Rock And A Hard Place

He didn't like guards, he didn't like jail, he didn't like being naked among other people, he didn't like being touched nor did he liked being stared at. The only thing Ran didn't like more than those things was being forced to get naked by guards in jail and have them fondle him all over while they stared at his pale body! 

If that fat man didn't remove his sweaty hands from his back he'd lose them. He didn't give a shit if it was standard procedure to strip search him or not., he just wanted to be left alone! Fuming in anger and humiliation the redhead clenched his jaws together until he could swear he heard them crack.

How long was he suppose to stand there while unknown men touched him, stared at him and smirked? Ran scowled and felt how every carefully trained muscle in his body tensed. The guards seemed to like that and stared even harder. Sighing to himself the redhead forced himself to relax a little and waited.

"Hose him down!" a gruff voice barked and he was shoved into a room with tiles. Ran glared at the three men before him who smiled smugly and pulled out a hose, aiming it at his unprotected body. _Well this is gonna hurt,_ the redhead sighed inwardly and tried to brace himself for what he knew would come. 

It took a while and to his annoyance he realized that it was because they were still staring at him. Scowling he crossed his arms and glared. So he had a few scars and he was paler than most Japanese men but that was no reason for them to stare like that.

"Hey, I guess he is a genuine redhead after all," the shortest of the three men said with wide eyes, wide eyes that were fixated on Ran's groin. Ran gritted his teeth. If they thought he'd be embarrassed and cover himself up they had another thing coming. 

"He's pretty, I'm sure he'll be popular around here," the old fat one who had searched him snickered. "Hoshi, hose him!" 

The water hit him like a ton of bricks, causing him to stumble backwards until he hit the wall. It did hurt, a lot. Water got into his nose and mouth, choking him while he tried to protect his most sensitive parts from the harsh attack. Spitting and coughing Ran slid down on the floor and curled up the best he could. 

"He's had enough, get him a towel." 

//

Ran might have killed a lot of people and he had been working on the wrong side of the law for years but this was the first time he had ever been in jail. It was almost funny how he was being locked up and charged for a murder he hadn't committed, or at least he didn't think so. He had called for a lawyer and hadn't said a word to anyone else. 

"Your law wrangler's here," a gruff voice said and the redhead sighed. Wasn't that just peachy? Ran rose from the hard bunk and offered his hands to the guard. The cuffs were cold and he didn't like the way they restricted his movements, but what could he do about it? Obediently he followed the large man and was told to sit in a tiny room that was hot and stuffy. He squirmed on the uncomfortable chair and waited.

"Fujimiya-san."

"Nakamura-san," Ran said quietly and politely bowed to his lawyer. The black haired man watched him for a few moments before he took a seat.

"They're charging you with the murder of Takatori Reiji," Nakamura said calmly without looking up from his papers. Amethyst eyes stared in shock.

"I… They what?!" Nakamura shrugged, seeming bored by the whole thing. Ran closed his eyes and massaged his temples. This was just fan-fucking-tastic! He was being accused of having murdered the man who he hated more than anyone else ever could and the thing that made him want to laugh his off ass was that he was completely innocent. 

"I take it you didn't do it?" The redhead raised an eyebrow and almost snickered.

"It pains me to say this but no I didn't. Believe me nothing would have thrilled me more than to cut that bastard into tiny little pieces and piss on them, but I haven't been anywhere near Takatori!" Nakamura smirked at him since he knew exactly how Ran felt about the shady businessman.

"I already knew that actually. They all know you didn't kill him."

"Then why the hell am I here?!" Ran spat out and shot to his feet. The guard present took a step forward, warning the redhead not to get out of line.

"If you had a dog and that dog bit someone and that someone died, who would get punished for it?" 

"What does this have to do with anything?" the redhead asked with annoyance.

"Just answer," Nakamura said before he sat down.

"The owner of course."

"Aa and that's what this is about Fujimiya-san. The one who killed Takatori was a slave, a slave named Ken, your slave." 

"Ken? Are you kidding me? Ken wouldn't hurt a fly and he's way too scared of being punished to even think along those lines!" Ran said with anger and banged his fist against the table.

"They have a witness and as you know no one would believe what your slave says about it. You're caught between a rock and a hard place here Fujimiya-san. If you fight these charges you risk having your life exposed and we both know that that would NOT be a good idea. If you cut a deal you know just as I do what the result will be. How long do you think you'd survive as a slave Fujimiya-san? And then there's the witness... I hate to say this but no matter what tricks I pull out of my sleeve we're not gonna win this one." 

"Who the hell is this witness then?" Ran growled through clenched teeth.

//

Yoji sadly observed the still form on the bed. Ken didn't speak, didn't eat, didn't do anything except lie there. The blonde couldn't help but feel guilty. If he had been able to find the slave this wouldn't have happened. It was his fault that Ken was nothing more than a shell and that his cousin once again had shut himself away from the world. 

Aya had started to show feelings again and now that was all gone, but Yoji wasn't stupid. He had seen the pain in his cousin's eyes, heard it in his deep voice. This was killing Aya inside, tearing away at his heart and still he understood why the redhead had done it. 

Hell, he would have done anything if Ken had been Omi. Only, he wasn't so sure this would actually help the brunette; right now it seemed to have made it so much worse. Ken had been there for 8 days and he hadn't left his room once. Omi had tried to talk to him but it was a dead end.

"Yotan?" He turned around and met his lover's blue eyes.

"What's wrong Omi?" The small blonde bit his lip and glanced at the slave on the bed.

"Could I talk to you for a moment, alone? It's about Aya-kun." Yoji nodded and followed Omi into the living room. "I just got a call from your father." 

"My father?" Aya and Yoji's father had never gotten along very well so the blonde was a bit shocked to hear that.

"He said that… they've… arrested Aya-kun for murder." Yoji's jaw went slack as he stared at his lover.

"What?! Aya killed someone?"

"Iie. It's… Ken-kun did," Omi almost whispered.

"Ken? The same Ken who's so scared of people that he freaks if you so much as sneezes without warning him first?" the lanky blonde asked incredulously.

"Hai and it gets better. They man Ken is supposed to have killed is none other than Takatori Reiji." Yoji sank down on the couch and pulled out his cigarettes. They had got to be kidding! 

"I need a drink Omi," he croaked out as he lit his smoke. "A stiff one!" His lover nodded and went over to the bar. "This is seriously fucked up right here Omi! Ken couldn't even kill a fly!"

"There's more I'm afraid," Omi mumbled as he put down a glass of whiskey on the table. "They have a witness and…" Yoji took a large gulp from the amber colored liquid, hissing when it burned its way down his throat.

"And?" he asked even though he really, really, didn't want to know.

"The witness is Kase, Ken's former owner." Yoji slammed the glass down and shot to his feet.

"Fuck! I… I thought Aya said Kase was dead?" Omi placed a hand on his arm and sighed.

"He almost was. It was touch and go for a while. Someone did a good number on him but unfortunately he survived. He's not gonna let this go Yotan and there's is nothing we can do to help Aya-kun. It's his word against Kase's."

Yoji pulled his lover into his lap and cursed as he buried his face in Omi's neck. He was worried about Ken and now about his cousin as well. If some miracle didn't happen Aya would be sentenced to slavery and he would never survive that. His complicated cousin was seriously caught between a rock and a hard place and chances were that they would crush him. 

Lost in thoughts neither one of the blondes noticed the brown eyes that stared at them nor when their owner left the living room as quietly as he had entered it a few minutes earlier. Eyes that had been submissive and scared for years showed a small fire, a small stubborn fire. 

"I won't let you take him away from me again Kase!" a low hoarse voice hissed as determined brown orbs flashed in anger and hate.

TBC

Uh the part about why Ran is being accused for Takatori's death is how it is at least in Sweden. If one of my dogs kill someone I'd be held responsible and so on… Since there are no slaves I have to make it up of course but I figured that since they see slaves as dogs… Yeah…

ARGH and Kase the bastard isn't dead! All of you who wants to kill him the line starts behind me! 

What's Ken gonna do about what happened to Aya/Ran and Kase? It seems like his temper is finally resurfacing, ne? /begs my muse not to abandon me again/ Ja/Atsureki


	18. Let Me Help

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I don't own them, don't even know the one who does, so leave me alone /whines/ 

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery, Very Short Chapter.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Okay so this chapter took eons to get out and I am so very sorry! My muse has moved to another planet or something and I'm having major problems with all my fics. /sniffles/ But! I'm **NOT** giving up!

Chapter 18. Let Me Help

The change was slow and if Yoji hadn't been paying so much attention to the brown haired slave he would have missed it completely. With each day that passed Ken transformed from a lifeless body into a man that seemed to be half slave, half something else. The emptiness in his eyes slowly gave away to a flicker of hardness and determination. 

He started eating but still spent almost all his time in bed. Somehow Yoji got the feeling that Ken was up a lot more than he appeared to be though. Every now and then he got the feeling that someone was walking around his apartment, listening to conversations, but he never saw anyone. 

It had been a month since Aya had been arrested when he spoke to Omi and told him that in another four months his cousin would appear in court. Nothing he had been able to do had improved the redhead's situation and he was losing hope. Aya had calmly told him that it would be better if he didn't come and visit him and Yoji had reluctantly agreed. 

There didn't seem to be any way to rescue the silent man from a life in slavery and it gnawed on the blonde constantly. He had just returned from a job and was sprawled out on the couch when his suspicions about Ken were proven true.

"Could I talk to you for a moment Yoji-sama," a low voice said and Yoji damn near had a heart attack. Shocked he sat up and stared into shadowed brown eyes.

"Ken? Oh of course." The slave came into the room and kneeled in front of him. To the blonde's surprise Ken kept his head up and even though the submission was still clouding his gaze there was something else there too.

"I need to see Aya-sama," Ken stated slowly. Yoji frowned and studied the slave, who almost succumbed to his training and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"I… You…" the blonde stammered and shook his head. "Why?"

"I need to see Aya-sama," Ken repeated stubbornly and the look on his face clearly stated that he wouldn't explain why no matter what Yoji said. 

"I'll see what I can do." The slave bowed and rose to his feet.

"Thank you Yoji-sama," he mumbled before he turned around and left. Yoji stared after him and frowned again.

"What was that about?" He glanced at Omi and shook his head.

"I have no idea, no idea."

"You know," Omi started and sat down on his lover's lap. "I think that if anyone can help Aya it's Ken, he's the only one who really knows what happened and… I… Something tells me that there's more to Ken than what we think. He loves Aya, I can see it in his eyes." Yoji nodded and absently caressed Omi's hair.

"Yeah and I'm willing to bet that he knows exactly what's going on with my cousin."

"Me too and it strikes me as highly unlikely that he's gonna allow Kase to win this. Kase took everything from him once and when Aya sold Ken to you it was another nail in his coffin. Ken would never go against Aya's wishes but he's not gonna sit by and watch as they turn Aya into a slave. He's going to fight for him with everything he has in him and I have a feeling that that's quite a lot," Omi said quietly with a thoughtful look in his blue eyes.

"Ken's stronger than people think, otherwise he would never have survived this long. Fear and hopelessness put him on a leash and somehow Aya managed to set part of him free again. It wouldn't surprise me if the submissive and obedient Ken turns out to be a very dangerous opponent, especially when he fights for something he loves."

//

"You have a visitor Fujimiya," a guard said gruffly and tapped the bars with a pair of handcuffs. Ran rose and glared at him with hate. It was probably Yoji since the blonde never had been one to do what he was told. Sighing he approached the guard and held out his hands. 

Cuffed and scowling he was lead down the long corridor to a visitor room. It was empty so he plopped down on a chair as soon as the guard had released his hands. He had his back to the door and didn't bother turning around as it opened and someone walked in. Soft footsteps came up to him and then it became quiet. 

Frowning in confusion Ran turned around and gasped as his eyes landed on a kneeling man. Ken. The slave didn't move but he was sitting close enough for the redhead to be able smell him. His nose took in the familiar scent and his hands twitched with the need to touch.

"Ken?" Ran asked hoarsely and stared at the brunette. Silently the slave rose and came even closer before he kneeled again just beside his former owner's right leg. The redhead's eyes widened when Ken placed a trembling hand on his thigh and then rested his head there.

"Aya-sama," the slave whispered and Ran couldn't keep himself from reaching out and burying his fingers in the soft brown hair he had missed so much. A sigh of contentment escaped Ken and it went straight to the redhead's confused heart. He had missed Ken before but now with him so close, touching him; it seemed to be the only thing he felt at all. 

"What are you doing here Ken?" Ran asked softly and caressed the slave's soft cheek with his thumb. To his utter surprise Ken grabbed his hand, kissed the palm and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Tell me I'm allowed to help you," the brunette murmured. His brown orbs were conflicted. Years of training fought with something else that Ran didn't quite recognize. "Please Aya. Let me help you." The redhead leaned forward until their foreheads where touching. Amethyst and chocolate eyes stared into each other.

"It's too dangerous," he whispered.

"I know," Ken agreed and his breath fanned over his former owner's face. "But…" His eyes dropped and his hold on the redhead's hand tightened. "I have nothing left to lose. I… I need you." Ran's eyes widened in shock. His fingers trembled as they curled around Ken's chin and lifted his face up. 

There was so much he wanted to say, wanted to explain but he couldn't get a single word out. While his head battled with what it couldn't say he again leaned forward and before he could stop himself his lips brushed against Ken's. He didn't push, still not sure of how much he could get away with without scaring the slave. The brunette seemed okay with it though because he changed the soft caress into a kiss. That did it for Ran. 

He had longed to taste those lips again for so long and now his body took over. Slowly he covered Ken's mouth with his own, gently licking at the soft lips, asking to be let in. Ken didn't hesitate at all, just gave him access. The kisses deepened, grew more urgent and Ran's heart pounded faster. Eventually they had to break apart to breathe. 

"Be careful," he mumbled into Ken's hair and felt how the slave laced their fingers together. "If anything happens to you…"

"I will," the brunette promised and rose to his feet. The guard standing in the corner was watching them with interest but Ran paid him no mind. He knew that they were talking too quietly for him to hear anything and so what if he saw them kiss? It wasn't like he was the first prisoner to be visited by his slave. 

He stood up and blinked, again surprised, when Ken pressed himself against his body. Ran hugged him even closer and felt the shorter man breathe against his neck. Then Ken started whispering to him. The redhead listened as the slave explained what he was going to do, how he was going to help him. He had to give Ken credit for the plan he had come up with. 

There had never been any doubt in Ran's head that the brunette was smart so he didn't find it too surprising that the slave seemed to have thought of everything. The only question was; could he let Ken go through with it? When they finally separated he knew the answer by looking into those brown eyes. They told him that Ken wouldn't do anything if he was told not to, but they also said that if he refused then Ken would never forgive himself for not being able to help.

"Get Yoji and Omi to help you Ken, they're both good at what they do," he sighed. "Yoji has a ton of connections and Omi knows more about computers than anyone else I know. Don't do it all on your own, promise me you won't."

"I promise," Ken said softly. The guard cleared his throat, signalling that their time was up. Ken kissed his former owner one last time before he lowered his head and followed the guard outside. Ran stared at the door for a while.

"Please keep him safe," he begged. "If something happens to him I don't know what I'll do."

TBC

See Ken is a smart cookie /snickers/ Oh and yeah Ken is changing but let's all remember that he's been through a lot for a long, long time so he really has to struggle and I hope I was able to show you all that. With a huge fat truckload of luck the next chapter won't take like 3 months /begs for mercy/ Ja/Atsureki


	19. Going Once

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: Seriously speaking… Y'all must know I don't own these guys by now? 

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Yeah I know this took a bloody long time too. /sighs in frustration/ And it didn't exactly help that my computer decided to go all pissy on me… /bah/ Oh well here it is at last… um and at least I think this chapter is pretty damn boring. /groans/

Chapter 19. Going Once…

The plan was being kicked into motion and the dangerous part, for Ken, was just about to start. He sat in the back seat of Yoji's car, desperately fighting against his fears. This was his idea, his brilliant attempt to save the only one who mattered to him, only… Only now it was about to become reality and was no longer just a sketch in his head and that was so much scarier.

"Are you okay Ken-kun?" Ken snapped his head up at the hushed question and swallowed with difficulty. He was so far from being okay that there wasn't even words for it. What he wanted and needed was Aya. Aya would've made it better! Ken huffed at himself. If the silent redhead had been there they would have had no reason to go to the place that frightened Ken out of his mind. The slave market. If his plan backfired there nothing and nobody would be able to save him.

"I'm just gonna say, for the record, that I don't like this," Yoji growled as he jerked the jeep between lanes. "How do we even know that…"

"Yotan! Stop it," Omi interrupted his lover and gave him a warning look. "You got the word out, ne?" The tall blonde nodded and lit a cigarette.

"But what if…" Another glare from Omi shut him up, much to Ken's relief.

"He'll be there," the brunette mumbled, his voice betraying his fear. "I got away, he's not gonna let a chance at fixing that pass him by." No one said anything more until Yoji parked in front of a huge warehouse.

"Does everybody know what to do?" Both slaves nodded. Omi reluctantly traded his normal collar for a heavier one and secured a leash to it. Ken was wearing his normal one and fiddled with the short chain hanging from it. "Omi you have to remember to keep your head down, look scared, submissive and stay two steps behind me." The small blonde nodded. "That goes for you too Ken." 

_I won't have to pretend_, Ken thought with a sigh. Years of training, beating and rapes had made sure of that and besides; he was scared shitless. There was also the fact that the slave auctions weren't a place he had ever wanted to see, again. It had been years since he had been there but the memory was still fresh, still caused him a nightmare or two every now and then. They got out of the car and Yoji grumbled as he grabbed the leash and the chain in his hand.

"Yotan, relax," Omi said softly and shifted the uncomfortable collar he was wearing. He wasn't use to the stiff leather or the heavy weight of it.

"Let's go back home and have a drink, that would relax me," the lanky blonde growled, put his shades on and started walking. Ken and Omi trailed behind him, heads lowered to the ground, backs slightly hunched. 

//

Omi carefully glanced around while he walked behind his lover. The place gave him the creeps and he could feel Ken trembling beside him. A burly man had told Yoji to take his slave down to the sales floor so that was where they were heading. The noise from the auction itself was horrible and Omi didn't even want to think about the men and women who were being sold like cattle.

"NEXT!" a hard voice suddenly barked and the little blonde almost jumped out of his skin. Yoji stepped forward and handed a sour looking man a piece of paper. "Slave number 188, check!"

"188, check," another voice confirmed and then Ken was being lead away by a stranger.

"Keep him safe," Omi begged with a sigh.

"Let's get out of here," Yoji snarled and shuddered. "This place makes me wanna throw up!" They left and slowly made their way towards the floor where the auction was taking place. When Yoji found a seat he sat down and Omi just barely managed to stop himself from taking a seat of his own and instead kneeled beside his lover, on the dirty floor. 

"How long before it's Ken's turn?" he asked quietly and kept his eyes on his knees.

"They split the slaves up in two categories, work slaves and bed slaves. Most slaves fall into the first one while Ken told me to put him in the second one. Most people are here for that. With Ken's looks and history my guess is that he'll be up among the first ones. They like to sell the best ones first, before the buyers get tired and spend too much money." 

//

Ken's whole body shook with fright. He wanted to go back home, he wanted to tell Yoji and Omi that he had changed his mind, but they were both gone. Moaning in fear the slave huddled against the wall, praying that they would just forget he was even there. Two men were walking down the line of slaves, picking out the 'good ones'. Ken watched them as they chose a young boy and then a pretty woman before they stopped in front of him.

"188, age?" the first of the men asked the second one and grabbed the brunette's chin to get a better look at him.

"20. Has some scars on his back, perfect health otherwise." Ken's shirt was ripped off and his face pressed against the wall as they checked his back.

"He'll do, get him ready."

"Hai Sir! 188 to the floor!" Second's later the rest of his clothes were taken away and replaced by a loincloth. His numbered was painted on his left hip, just above the mark that branded him a slave and then they marched him away along with about 10 other slaves. 

Each slave was lead to a pole, their chain locked to a ring and then they waited. A steady stream of people walked by, stared, commented, poked, prodded and caressed. Ken shivered in the cold air and tried to keep the tears from falling. He had been a slave long enough to know that a crying slave appealed to the cruellest owners. Nothing would thrill them more than to find innocence and weakness that they could torture and destroy, he had learnt that the hard way and it was a lesson he'd never forget. 

A low sob caused him to carefully look up. The young boy he had spotted earlier was crying and he would soon draw attention to himself from the buyers. Ken bit his lip and quietly moved closer. This boy couldn't be more than 8 and the brunette doubted that he really was a bed-slave. Since he had been there before he knew how this auctions worked and it was a common thing that owners put their slaves into the wrong category just to get more money. 

He was willing to bet that the boy was being sold by his parents and it made him sick to his stomach. Did his mother and father have any idea of what their son was going to go through, what they were setting him up for? They probably didn't even care, Ken's father sure hadn't, all he had cared about was the money.

"127 to the floor!" someone barked and then the boy was dragged away, his deep green eyes widened in fear. Ken was ashamed of it but he was glad he wasn't that kid; again, now he at least knew what was waiting for him. 

This was the first bed slave for the day so the crowd roared loudly and the bidding went high. Ken leaned against the pole behind him and tried to breathe slowly. His hands were trembling and so were his knees and his heart felt like it was about to smash through his ribcage.

"188 to the floor!" 

//

Yoji stared at the slave they were dragging onto the floor. Hell it wasn't a slave it was a child, a little boy. The auctioneer shouted out some facts like age, height, weight and then the bidding started.

"What kind of asshole sends a kid here?" the tall blonde hissed and grabbed the leash until his knuckles turned white.

"Bid on him." Shocked Yoji turned his head to the right and stared at Omi. He had never seen his lover's eyes so cold and angry before. 

"Nani?"

"Bid on him! Now!" Confused Yoji raised his hand as the next bid was called out. 

"Exactly what am I doing?" he asked Omi as he followed the bidding.

"Saving a soul," the small blonde spat out and his thin frame shook with anger and disgust. Yoji topped another bid and squeezed his lover's shoulder briefly. Before he knew it the auctioneer brought his club down and he owned his first slave.

"Well fuck me," Yoji mumbled and blinked. "At least there'll be one person who won't learn what being a slave is really about," he added with a small smile.

"Next is 188. 20 years old…" 

"That's Ken." Omi nodded and shifted his weight. If they thought the boy had cost a lot of money it was nothing compared to the bids offered for Ken. The auctioneer was about to bring his club down several times but there was always another counter bid just in the nick of time. It seemed like it took forever and Yoji couldn't tear his eyes away from the brunette's frightened face.

"Going once!" The auctioneer's eyes flew around the crowd.

"Going twice!" Except for a low murmur no one said a word and no more hands were raised.

"Sold!" Both Yoji and Omi turned to get a look at the buyer and simultaneously gasped. The man the auctioneer was pointing at wasn't Kase.

"Oh God," Omi whimpered and rose to his feet, drawing stares from the people around them.

"What the fuck do we do now?" The small slave didn't have an answer for that anymore than Yoji himself did.

//

Ken waited nervously for whomever it was who had bought him. He hadn't been able to see who it was from his place on the floor and to be honest he had been, and was, too scared to look up. The boy he had stood beside earlier was picked up and Ken could have sworn it was Yoji who escorted the scared child away but that couldn't be possible, could it? 

He didn't have time to think about it though. The chain secured to his collar was handed over to someone new and Ken carefully squinted to see who it was. A bald man glared at him with disgust. 

"We meet again Kenken. And just when I thought I had cleaned you up for the last time! Well, move it along slave! Kouichiro-sama is waiting for you." Ken shuddered. So Kase had sent one of his men instead. Same difference. He only hoped that Yoji had enough connections to get that information because he was certain that the tall blonde hadn't recognized the man. 

A swift pull almost caused Ken to fall and he hurried to catch up. Now it was up to him and God only knew if he'd succeed or what Kase had in store for him. _Please let Aya be safe,_ the brunette thought as he was pushed into a car, _and let me see him just one more time_.

TBC

Okay so Ken is back with Kase… Now what? 

And about the little boy. I just didn't have the heart to let him go to some bastard so yeah Yoji and Omi have become 'parents' of some sort. /frowns a little/ Don't look at me like that hangs head I'm working without a muse here! Leave me alone! /pouts/ Ja/Atsureki


	20. Fortunes And Misfortunes

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: If they were mine you wouldn't have to wait for ages for me to update, you could just watch the next episode…

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Shounen-ai, OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

Please don't hate me for being so God damned slow. /whines/ My muse hates me enough to go around! Thankfully I found my notes from when I started this fic so I got some help there. /phew/ Now read, enjoy and savour because with my bloody luck it'll take months and months before I get the next chapter out. /sighs in defeat/

Chapter 20. Fortunes And Misfortunes

"Where are you taking me?" Yoji glanced over his shoulder. The young boy was pressing himself against the car door and looked like he thought they were going to eat him alive. 

"We won't hurt you," Omi said softly and smiled. "I'm Omi-kun and that's Yoji-kun, but you can call him Yotan. What's your name?" The boy watched them suspiciously, fear still clouding his features.

"Hiko," he finally answered shyly.

"Well welcome to our family Hiko-kun," the small blonde smiled warmly and took off the heavy collar he had been wearing. "I don't know how Ken-kun stands this," he grumbled and tossed the offending ring of leather on the floor.

"We'll have to get Hiko one like yours," Yoji nodded and lit a cigarette. "I have his tag somewhere around here." Absently he dug through his pockets and eventually found the ID-tag. He handed it to Omi for safekeeping. His thoughts lingered on the scared kid and on Ken's fate. That kid had had no training so it was obvious he wasn't really a slave, at least he hadn't been before that auction.

"Ne Yotan," Omi said quietly and glanced at his lover. "What about Ken-kun?" Yoji filled his lungs with smoke and held his breath until they screamed in objection.

"We'll give him a few days, if we don't see any signs from him by then…" Omi nodded and fiddled with his shirt.

"Where's my mother?" They both looked at Hiko. The boy had tears in his eyes and his lower lip trembled.

"I don't know chibi," the tall blonde sighed sadly. "But we'll take care of you." Hiko sniffled and wiped at the tears.

"Dad told me to be a man but… but…" Omi climbed into the back seat and pulled the sobbing boy into his arms. 

//

Ran glared at a huge black haired man and lit a smoke. He had already been forced to break a nose and one or two ribs to keep his ass safe, literary. His eyes were shooting death glares at anyone who tried to approach him and for the moment he was left alone. 

Yoji's short visit the previous day was bothering the redhead. His cousin still hadn't heard a word from the slave and the auction had been two weeks ago. If something had gone wrong Ran didn't know how the hell they were suppose to fix it because a sale was a sale. At the moment Ken could very well be the property of some sicko, not that Kase wasn't a sicko. 

Aya inhaled another load of smoke and paced the gravelled ground impatiently. Ken had to be all right! If he only could get out, then he could at least check up on the brunette by himself. The change in Ken's person was great but Ran wasn't sure how far it would take him and it didn't exactly help that the slave was doing this for him. There were too many 'ifs' running around in his head and he absolutely hated feeling so fucking helpless! 

Growling to himself Ran kicked the ground. If things went as Ken had planned them the redhead was going to kiss the slave breathless and then shred Kase into tiny little pieces. Great another 'if', just what he needed at the moment. The problem wasn't just that Yoji couldn't find Ken, he couldn't seem to find Kase either. Kase had disappeared and Ran was sure he was going to stay away until the trial. 

During that time any number of things could happen to Ken, if the brunette was even with Kase. Well wouldn't you know, another 'if'. The redhead snarled to himself and stomped his half smoked cigarette into the ground. 

Nakamura was doing everything he could, searching high and low for a way to get Ran out. Omi was helping too since he was good with computers but so far both of them had come up empty handed.

//

Hiko had settled in nicely and was well on his way to being spoiled rotten by Yoji's housekeeper. Omi smiled at the boy whose forehead was wrinkled in concentration as he worked on the computer. They had explained the situation with Aya and Ken since the boy had asked and Omi had been surprised when he wanted to help. 

For the first couple of days Hiko had been very quiet and scared but he was young and not as unaware of how lucky he had been as they had first thought. He missed his mother a lot but he seemed to have accepted that the two blondes were his new family, along with the very motherly Nippy.

"What does RS mean?" Hiko suddenly asked and his young face was turned into a frown.

"RS?" Omi mumbled and looked at the screen. He blinked in surprise. Somehow Hiko had managed to enter the database that kept track of all slaves.

"Mm," the boy confirmed and pointed. "See this list is of slaves filed as RS, like that one." He pointed at a registration number. "Slave number 12763, RS-99/03, RTO-99/04, NA/NC." Omi took a closer look and used the mouse to scroll to the top of the page.

"I've never seen this before," the small blonde admitted and frowned. "Oh here we go. RS stands for Reported Stolen."

"What about the rest?" Omi clicked on a link and read.

"Ah. It means that that slave was reported stolen in March of 99 and returned to his, or her, owner in April the same year. NA/NC stands for No Arrest/No Conviction. How did you… Doesn't matter how on second thought. But why did you access this?" Hiko clicked back a few times before the answered.

"See this is Ken-kun's file, ne?" Omi nodded after checking the registration number. "At the bottom of the page there's this hidden link," Hiko explained and moved across the seemingly empty page until the mouse's pointer turned into a hand. He clicked the invisible link and accessed a totally different file. "See? Slave number 179344 RS." The small blonde frowned again and read the information. 

"This doesn't make any sense at all. Ken-kun was reported stolen but it doesn't say when nor is there anything that says he was ever returned and still his file continues like nothing happened. And shouldn't there be two reports? Aya-kun filed one too." He reached for the phone and called Aya's lawyer.

//

Things seemed to have been standing still for ages and then suddenly everything started moving like an avalanche. Nakamura was granted access, legally, to Ken's file and went straight to a judge with the information he found there. He claimed that Ran was wrongly accused since in fact he never had been Ken's rightful owner. 

For a while it seemed to have backfired on them when the redhead was charged with buying stolen goods, but Nakamura wouldn't hear it. The charges were dropped like a hot potato when the cunning lawyer pointed out that not only had Ran been dealing in good faith but Ken's files had also been tampered with and Nakamura would be more than willing to find out who had done it and why. Apparently the secret behind that was big enough to make the suits shiver in fear. 

After more than three months in jail Ran was free to go and he was fairly certain most people would be thrilled if they never heard his name ever again. Nakamura suspected that Kase was the one who had stolen Ken and that he with the contacts he had gained, working for Takatori, was behind the way it had just been hidden away and ignored, just like the fact that Ran's report had never been filed. 

Even more interested was the fact that the law now claimed that the one responsible for Takatori's death, which was still pinned to Ken, was none other than Kase himself. But the police had no more luck in locating the man than Yoji and Omi had had. 

Ran didn't return to his own apartment but made camp at his cousin's place, impatiently and worriedly waiting for Ken to surface. He had thanked young Hiko several times, since the boy was the reason he was free again. Hiko had smiled shyly at him and blushed; he did however seem very pleased with being useful. 

Being out of jail was great but Ran needed Ken back, desperately. Yoji doubled his efforts, if that was even possible, and Omi spent endless nights glued to his computer. They found nothing though and it didn't make it any easer that the whole sale at the auction seemed to have been messed up, at the moment Ken wasn't owned by anyone. On the database it was clear that Ken had been sold but no new owner was listed. 

Worried amethyst eyes looked out over Tokyo as their owner stood frozen in the moonlight.

"Where are you Ken?" No one answered the quiet question. With a sigh Ran returned to bed, knowing that he wouldn't get any sleep tonight either. Earlier that evening he had watched how his cousin carried a sleeping Omi to bed, the tall blonde's eyes shadowed with concern and love. 

They couldn't go on like this for much longer. Yoji was about to crash from running around looking for leads and Omi was starting to rapidly lose his cheerfulness, too tired to even try to keep up the act. Ran sighed again and pulled at his ear tails. His head had started to doubt. 

What if Ken had been wrong in his conviction that he was so important to Kase? What if Kase had in fact gotten his hands on the slave and simply killed him? What if Ken never even got to Kase in the first place? What if… Ken never came back? The redhead quickly banned those thoughts and shuddered. They had to find Ken! He wouldn't rest until they did!!

//

Blue lights flashed around him, people screamed and ran around like maniacs. They paid him no attention… yet. In due time they would flock around him like vultures around a carcass. He sat on the ground, huddled up in a dark corner, covered in blood from head to toe. 

In his hands he gripped an innocent looking brown glove, red slowly dripping from it onto the grass. His left eye was swollen shut, his lips puffy and stinging from the tears he was crying silently. Dressed in nothing but a pair of ripped pants he shuddered in the night's cold breeze and he wanted to curl up tighter, but his body was too sore. 

He whimpered slightly and started rocking back and forth. It had been an accident, sort of. It had just hurt too much to go through it again so he had defended himself, really fought back, for the first time in his life. Another sob was heard. He had never intended to kill the man and the glove was just the first thing he had reached. 

Now he couldn't even remember how he had managed to pull it on and push the small metal plate that had made four claws shoot out. What he did remember though was the feeling of those razor sharp blades cutting through flesh, drawing blood, finally putting an end to the man who had tormented him for so long, taken so much from him.

"There he is!" someone yelled and he winced, cowering further into the shadows. It didn't help him; they had already found him. "He killed him! Slaughtered him!" A burly man dragged him to his feet, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Get a sample of this blood!" the man barked out and handed him over to another stranger. "And get his prints."

"Yes Sir!" Unkind hands handled him and stopped when they reached his collar. "Sir!"

"What?!"

"He's a slave." The burly man yanked his collar and forced him down on his knees.

"Well wouldn't you know, a slave who murdered his owner," he leered and twisted his hold until he got a scream of pain. "Do you know what we do with slaves who kill their owners?" The slave just whimpered, but he did know, all too well. A cruel laughter was heard and new hands pulled him up and shoved him into a car. 

It was all over for him now, there was no way out anymore. The second he had killed his owner he had sealed his own doom. Because a slave guilty of murdering his or her owner was destroyed, executed without exceptions. A low sob escaped his cracked lips and his good eye closed.

"I'm sorry Aya. I'm sorry I couldn't help you…" He started rocking again, tears making more strange patterns through the blood on his face. "I'm so sorry." The car he was in started moving just as a stretcher was wheeled out. A brown eye glanced at it and a flicker of hate flashed in it. "You'll rot in hell Kase and I'll be there to watch!"

TBC

Oh dear! Kase is dead and Ken is… going to be? 

I just have to say that what Hiko did was actually Omi's work but I couldn't help myself and I wanted Hiko to have a part here too /hugs little Hiko/ 

And yes this was the way it was supposed to go down with the whole getting Ran out of jail-part. Now let's see if my muse will take pity on me or if I have to beat her with a stick for a few months first /groans/ Ja/Atsureki


	21. A Brief Reunion

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I might wish I had Aya's ear tails to play with but unfortunately he and the others belong to someone who ain't me! It's a cruel world!

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts. 

YAY another chapter! And it didn't take years for me to get out! /pets her muse who finally returned, somewhat reluctantly/ Read and enjoy. Oh and thanks to everyone who are still with me! /glomps her readers/

Chapter 21. A Brief Reunion

Ken huddled as far away from the door as he could get. He was so tired, so cold and his body was pounding dully from the pain. Unknown people had shoved him around ungently for hours before they finally tossed him into a tiny cell and locked the door. For all he knew they probably tossed away the key too. Not that it mattered to him. He was as good as dead as it was, put up for termination for ending years of torment. 

Wasn't life unfair? Kase had made his life hell, caused him more pain and suffering than anyone and killing him was a crime? When that man had started stripping him once more his brain had said enough, never again. His plan had been doomed as soon as he laid eyes on Kase, he was just too afraid of him. 

Like a good little slave he had cowered and obeyed all while guilt ate away at his heart and soul. He had failed Aya and he had hated himself for it, but his fear for the man who took such pleasure in causing him pain was stronger than his love for the redhead. At least it had been until that evening. 

Kase had been showering him with punches and vile words about Aya and when he got ready to rape Ken the brunette couldn't take it anymore. Somehow he had managed to shove the larger man away and then he had lunched for the first thing he saw, the bugnuks on Kase's wall. He still couldn't remember exactly how he had managed to slip the glove on and then press the plate that turned it into a deadly weapon, but he had done it. 

Screaming in hate he had throw himself over his owner, slashing away like a madman. Afterwards he had almost thrown up when he saw what he had done. Kase's face cut to shreds, barely recognizable anymore, his torso gaping open like on a slaughtered animal, blood seeming to have drenched everything. 

Then he ran out of the room, stormed straight through two guards and finally more or less collapsed in the garden, hidden by the shadows. And now he was just waiting to pay for his crime. Crying silently he wrapped his arms around his bruised chest and started rocking back and forth.

//

"Get out of my way!" Ran snarled, saliva spurting from his mouth. The huge man before him didn't budge though, he stood his ground.

"Aya-kun, please calm down," Omi begged and tugged at his arm. He glanced at his lover, asking for help.

"Getting arrested isn't going to make anything better," Yoji sighed and pulled his cousin back a little.

"Let me go Kudou! I'll fucking kill him if he doesn't move!" Ran roared and yanked himself free. A small hand suddenly grabbed his and the redhead froze.

"Why won't you let Aya-niisan see Ken-kun?" 

"Hiko?" Ran blinked in surprise at the boy's question and squeezed his hand a little. The uniformed police cleared his throat, obviously confused by the boy's presence.

"I'm not allowed to. Your brother needs a court order to see um Ken," he explained. The redhead raised an eyebrow. No one had observed the fact that Hiko was a slave and the boy's tendency to refer to him as big brother was throwing the cop for a loop. 

Ran glanced at Hiko and blinked again. His face was innocent and childish but his eyes told a different story, he was up to something. With fascination the older man watched how the child's bottom lip started trembling and fake tears flooded his wide eyes.

"You're gonna kill Ken-kun and we'll never see him again," Hiko sniffled and wrapped his thin arms around Ran's waist. "I… I just wanted to say… say good bye…" He started hiccupping and his whole body shook with sobs. Behind them Yoji and Omi stared, their mouths gaping open.

"Now, now I… I didn't…" The huge man swallowed and gave Ran a pleading look.

"I'm so sorry Hiko, I know you wanted to see Ken-kun one last time," the redhead murmured and patted the boy's head.

"Well I… I suppose it wouldn't do any harm if… if you and your little brother saw him for a few minutes." Hiko wiped his nose and hugged the bothered cop.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he babbled and smiled shyly.

"I can only let you two in and you can't stay very long, okay?"

//

When the door opened Ken made himself as little as he possibly could because it gave whoever it was a much smaller surface to hit. Where they already coming to execute him? Frightened he waited as the door closed. A hand cupped his cheek and raised his face.

"Ken." He knew that voice, would recognize it anywhere. Blinded by tears he allowed himself to be hugged and held.

"Aya," the brunette whimpered hoarsely and clung to his former owner.

"It's okay. I'm gonna fix this, I promise." 

"You… you can't," Ken sobbed. "I killed him."

"And if you hadn't I would've," Aya almost growled and hugged him harder, causing him to moan in pain. "Did he hurt you?!" Ken nodded. Gentle hands touched his body and strangely enough eased the pain a little. "Bastard!"

"I'm sorry I let you down." Aya tilted the brunette's face up and shook his head.

"You didn't. My lawyer got me out and I've been looking for you ever since. I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner," the redhead sighed and caressed his cheek. "We weren't even sure Kase was the one who bought you."

"His closest man, Tsaki, picked me up and took me to Kase's house just outside Tokyo," Ken explained. A pounding on the door caused him to jump.

"Two minutes," a hard voice yelled. The redhead glanced over his shoulder.

"You okay Hiko?" Confused Ken looked up and stared at the small boy by the door. He immediately recognized him from the auction.

"I'm fine oniisan."

"Listen Ken. I'm going to do everything I can to get you out of here but it might take some time. Are you gonna be all right?"

"You're safe, that's all I ever wanted," Ken whispered and lowered his head again. 

"It's not enough for me though, it'll never be unless you're with me," Aya said softly and raised the brunette's face once more. "I need you Ken and it's been a long time since I need anyone so I'm not gonna rest until I'm with you again." Ken felt his eyes widened. Aya needed him, him, Ken the useless slave. 

"Time to go!" the hard voice from earlier yelled and there was another bang on the door. The redhead kissed his lips softly and wiped the slave's cheek.

"I… I love you Ken, so just hang on a little longer, please?" Aya begged; his beautiful eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Stunned the brunette nodded and leaned in for another kiss. The door behind them opened and they broke apart.

//

Omi observed Hiko during the drive home. The boy was deep in thoughts, his young face contorted in concentration. He had been like that ever since he and Aya had returned from visiting Ken and Omi was curious. The acting Hiko had displayed to the policeman earlier had come as a complete surprise to all of them, even if they had noticed how bright and precocious the boy was. 

It hadn't taken long for all of them to fall in love with Hiko; he was so sweet, gentle and eager to help. Strangely enough he seemed to have bonded the most with Aya, never once fearing the redhead's icy mask and bland eyes. 

Omi was thankful for that because his lover's introverted cousin needed someone to lean on and this boy was probably the only one he'd accept completely. Maybe it was fate that had sent them Hiko when they needed him the most? He wasn't sure and it didn't really matter, Omi was glad to have him there just the same.

//

Yoji parked the car but no one made a move to get out. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled a little at the way Hiko was leaning against Omi's thin frame. His lover looked thoughtful as he petted the boy's hair. Beside the tall blonde was Aya, his eyes hard and calculating. Yoji frowned. The redhead was up to something.

"There's something I need to do," Aya suddenly said. 

"Something?" Yoji questioned with one eyebrow raised, not even sure he wanted to know. 

"It's better for everyone if you don't know." Yoji huffed and felt around for his smokes. 

"Getting yourself arrested or dead isn't going to save Ken you know," he muttered and gave up his search, choosing to glare a little at his cousin instead. The redhead gave him a bland look and shrugged.

"Maybe not, but I have to do this. Not just for Ken but for me, for all of us," Aya answered calmly, callously. "It's something I should have done a long time ago, I think."

"Be careful." The redhead turned around and smiled slightly at Hiko.

"I will Hiko, I promise." The boy smiled brightly even though his green eyes were concerned. 

"What are you going to do, Aya-kun?" Omi asked quietly. Aya met his gaze, letting his eyes become less impassive.

"I can't tell you Omi. Not only don't I want you to know but it's also safer if you don't." Yoji frowned hard. He had known that his cousin was doing things he never talked about, that he was wrapped up in something dangerous. Asking wouldn't get the blonde anywhere so he had never bothered to even try.

"Don't do anything stupid Ran," Yoji murmured and patted the redhead's knee. That was the first time in many years he had called Aya by his real name and it surprised the complicated man.

"I'll try not to Yoji but I've already done a lot of stupid things, one more might just make it all right again."

"Are you sure about that?" Aya chuckled shortly and tilted his head.

"Yoji, do me a favour?" The tall blonde reluctantly nodded. "I promised Ken I'd fix this and I intend to but… if something happens to me please help me keep that promise?" He unfastened his seatbelt and reached for the door. 

"All right," Yoji sighed shook his cousin's hand.

"Ken loves you, you know that, right? Hiko suddenly asked. "You need him and he needs you back. No one should take away people you love and need." Aya blinked twice, swallowed thickly and ruffled Hiko's hair.

"Take care of them Kudou or I'll peel you like a banana." Yoji watched silently as the redhead disappeared around the corner, his black coat billowing behind him in the wind.

//

Ran unlocked the door to his apartment and swiftly moved into the bedroom. He headed straight for the closet and took out the black set of clothes he had worn on missions. Without hesitation he put them on and then retrieved his katana from the hidden compartment, fastening it to his belt. 

Dressed and ready he accessed another compartment hidden in the wall and pulled out a stack of white folders. He eyed each one before he returned about half of them, the rest he hid away inside his long coat. One last check and Ran was ready to leave. When he walked towards the door he made a brief stop next to a pile of Ken's clothes.

"One way or another we'll be together," he almost purred as his hand lingered on an orange sweater. "Dead or alive, in heaven or in hell." Seconds later the door slammed shut and Abyssinian was on his last mission.

TBC

I just love Hiko! /coughs/ And he's mine! /gets all possessive/ He's slightly based on my oldest nephew who's 7 and just blows me away by being so damn perceptive it's freaky! Ja/Atsureki


	22. Abyssinian’s Last Mission

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: Only in my insane little delusional world are they mine!

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

Okay I have gone through and fixed all chapters now and there might be a change or two there so if you have the energy please reread them… Um anything else? Ah yes things marked # are explained at the end and if there's anything that seems confusing it'll be cleared up later on. /hehe/  ENJOY!!

Chapter 22. Abyssinian's Last Mission

The redhead moved from one room to the other like a big cat, silent, crouching slightly and with narrowed eyes. His nimble fingers picked a lock and opened up yet another door, but he never went inside. Just one look told him that it wasn't the right one either. A string of curses were swallowed and his eyes searched for the next room. He hesitated when he found it unlocked, standing ever so slightly ajar.

With suspicion he peeked inside, his head tilted a little to the left as if that somehow could make him pick up on any dangers faster. Warily he snuck inside and headed towards the huge servers lined against the opposite wall. A malicious smile tugged on his lips as he dug through his bag of tricks, pulling out an explosive device that would ruin everything and anything kept on any of the building's joined computer servers.

_The joy of networks_, he thought as he poked around in the jumble of cables. Grumbling in silence the redhead dug deeper to find the perfect location for the little, but nasty bomb he was about to plant. The second his hands encountered something that felt very different from what he was expecting to find his whole body stiffened. Carefully he cleared away the mass of black cables to get a better look.

"Scheiße!#" he growled out loud and scrambled backwards. Someone had beaten him to it; someone else had already planted a bomb right there, a big fucking bomb, and it was counting down the last minutes fast enough to make him sweat bricks. As fast as he could the redhead left the room and started running down the long corridor.

"Raus!#" he bellowed into his headset and almost fell through a door and down a narrow flight of stairs.

"Do you read me Nagi? Get the fuck out, NOW!" He continued across the parking lot and just barely made it behind a large container when a deafening explosion blasted through the night and an enormous shockwave caused the ground to quake.

"Ach, was soll's!#" the redhead grumbled and carefully peeked around the corner to check the building, or rather what was left of it. There was no way the single bomb he had found could have caused THAT much damage. The once proud building was nothing more than a pile of twisted iron and rubble. If he hadn't gotten out when he had there wouldn't have been enough left of him to mop up. He shuddered at the thought and then he remembered something, or more precisely… someone. A second later he slumped down on the ground and pulled the bandana off his head. A moan of agony rose from his throat.

"Nagi," he whispered and banged the back of his head against the cold metal behind him.

"So it was you after all, I should've known," a bland voice suddenly muttered.

"Schuldig!" The redhead looked up just in time to catch the small brunette who launched himself at him.

"Nagi!" Schuldig wrapped his arms around the lithe body and buried his face against his partner's slender neck. "Thank God you're all right."

"He found me," Nagi snorted and withdrew from the German's embrace to nod towards a pale redhead dressed in black. "Looks like he beat us to it."

"Schuldig huh? I thought your name was supposed to be Fritz Böck. A German businessman?"

"Fujimiya? Didn't expect to you see you around here." Schuldig replied calmly and staggered to his feet. "And I am a businessman by the way, just not right now."

"Fujimiya?" Nagi echoed in confusion. "Isn't he the owner of…" He was interrupted.

"And who might this child be?" The small brunette scowled.

"That's not important. I'd rather you told me why Kritiker's headquarter just went up in smoke," Schuldig drawled and cocked his head to the left, peering into the impassive eyes of his former colleague.

"You first, what reason do you have to blow up that building, hm?"

"I wasn't trying to blow up the building," the German corrected matter-of-factly. "Just the computers, nothing more."

"Is that so?" Fujimiya asked with one perfect eyebrow raised.

"Well actually I also took the opportunity to get rid of Takatori. Would have gotten his little bastard Kase too if he hadn't been so damn lucky!" Schuldig huffed and pouted slightly at the thought of how he had failed to kill the man.

"Someone else corrected that mistake," the amethyst-eyed man shrugged. "Someone who is very grateful for your help."

"Ken?" Fujimiya nodded. "So he did make it to your place?"

"Aa."

"Good! Now tell me Aya… I thought you were all buddy-buddy with Manx? What could Kritiker possibly have done to deserve to have their headquarter blown to dust?"

"None of your business," Aya answered coldly and turned away from them. "And by the way, I was after the same thing as you two only, I'm not taking any chances! Better to level the whole building, it's the only way to be sure."

"How do you two know each other?" Nagi asked and both redheads turned to him.

"We used to work together," Schuldig muttered. "It's thanks to Fujimiya here that I'm no longer part of Kritiker and that I'm alive to not tell anyone about it."

"But you told me that one of the assassins was ordered to kill you," Nagi objected and a vague smirk played on Fujimiya's lips.

"Aa that's true," he nodded and Schuldig snorted softly.

"Like you would have succeeded anyway Abyssinian?"

"Dead men tell no tales Oriental#," the pale redhead almost purred. "But, I do recall that part of our deal was that you would return to Germany and never set foot in Japan again?"

"Believe me Fujimiya if I had had a choice I would be in Dresden# instead of running around here! But unfortunately I didn't have much to say in the matter."

"I'll make a calculated guess," the pale redhead muttered. "I wasn't the only one Takatori was checking up on? He was sniffing at your heels?"

"Ja. As far as Kritiker is concerned I've grown very tired of looking over my shoulder. Enough is enough! That's why I didn't just settle for Takatori and I didn't see any point in leaving a sadistic son of a bitch like Kase running around. Especially not after the way he ogled Nagi here." The small brunette huffed indignantly. 

"He would have been dead before he finished the thought!"

"Spunky kid you got there. I have to go," Fujimiya declared and turned away again.

"Just one more thing before you go Aya," Schuldig called and the slender redhead paused.

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Manx wanted you dead because you put someone before her missions. That's not a crime, that's being human. Now if you'll excuse me I have one more cat to kill." With those words Aya disappeared into the shadows.

/&/

Manx played with her glass of wine as she stared at Tokyo's neon lights. Her pupils suddenly contracted when the sky was alit and the floor beneath her vibrated. To her left the building she worked in crumbled to the ground and left her blinking in shock. It took a while for her to shake it off and by then sirens were howling through the night and a caravan of flashing lights were making their way towards the site. She took a step towards the window and winced when her slipper came down on the remains of her wineglass.

"Kami-sama," she muttered and stared at the crimson stain spreading out on her white carpet. The Kritiker building was gone and the place was probably crawling with cops. She had to call Persia and the sweepers and… Behind her the door opened and a shadow entered, but she didn't notice. Hurriedly she moved away from the glass on the floor, kick off the slippers and headed for the phone. They would have to put a team together immediately. Who ever had planted those bombs could be after Persia or even herself.

"You're not calling anyone." The words cut through the air like lashed from a whip and made her jump. Her body had been trained and it recalled it now, snapping itself into fighting mode like a cobra about to strike. But the man still hidden in the shadows had the upper hand and Manx knew she'd never beat him.

"Ran?" She couldn't see him but she recognized his voice and even more so his posture and the glint from his drawn katana.

"No, not Ran," he growled and took a step forward.

"But Ran…" Manx backed up, unsure and a little scared.

"Don't you know who I am?" He was even closer now and she didn't like the look in his pale face, nor the light in those amethyst eyes. Never before had Fujimiya Ran looked so much like a cold-blooded killer.

"Ran stop it!" she ordered and straightened her back, glaring at the man.

"Manx," the redhead sighed mockingly and took another step towards her. "You made me and now you don't even remember my name?" His voice was purring now, the words caressing the air but she could feel the underlying threat. Fear groped at her and she inched her way to the left and the heavy desk where she kept a gun.

"What do you want?"

"Yes, that is the question, is it not?" Ran mused and to her surprise he sat down on the armrest of the couch. From underneath his black coat he pulled out a small stack of files. "Takatori hacks his way into your files even though you have the best security systems available. Kase shows up during a mission I got only an hour earlier to kill me. The cops links me to Ken and thereby Takatori's murder even though Kritiker pays them to forget I even exist."

"What are you getting at Abyssinian?!" Manx snarled and glanced at the drawer she kept the gun in.

"I've always been told that Takatori can't be touched, that he's out of reach for everyone, including Kritiker. But tell me dear Manx, it wasn't like that, was it?"

"I don't know what you're babbling about!" A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and she had to swallow several times to get the lump of fright out of her throat. A lethal smirk quirked Ran's lips and he snickered quietly.

"Don't ever make the mistake of thinking I'm stupid," he warned her and threw the files at her. She watched the papers flutter to the floor. "I'll admit it took a bit of reading to figure it out but seriously, you didn't cover your tracks all that well."

"What tracks?" Manx barked and placed her hand on the drawer's handle.

"Kitano Tsaki. Does that by any chance ring a bell? Bald guy, he worked for Kase for the last couple of years but that was mostly a cover to hide the fact that Takatori wanted him to check Kase out, to make sure Kase didn't steal from his master."

"And I should know this man?" A soft but unpleasant laughter rose from Ran's throat and he stood up.

"The reason why Kritiker always left Takatori alone was because he paid you to, just like he paid the cops and everybody else to look the other way. And the ones who made it possible were you and Kitano. You know, after Ken killed Kase I checked up on Kitano but at first I didn't recall that I had seen him before. It hit me earlier tonight when I looked through the files again."

"You're barking up the wrong tree here! If you want that slave of yours freed I can help you, just…"

"Quiet!" Ran roared and narrowed his eyes. "Kitano's a little older and he's shaved his head and put on some weight but I have an excellent memory Manx. He stood partially hidden behind Persia when I was hired years ago. I've seen him enter this apartment carrying a briefcase only to come out without it moments later."

"Fuck you!"

"YOU gave Takatori access to Kritiker's computer files, YOU told Kase where I'd be that night and YOU gave me up to the cops. Thanks to Kritiker Tokyo has been Takatori's own little playpen for years and years. He gave you money to ignore what he was doing and to eliminate all his competition!" Manx suddenly smirked.

/&/

Ran tightened the hold on his control and managed to subdue the boiling wrath inside for a while longer. The woman before him was smirking. With ease he manoeuvred himself into a better position, in case she tried to attack, and corrected the hold on his katana.

"Well aren't you a clever boy?" So she had decided to smarten up. He had seen the fear in her eyes but now it was replaced with smugness. Whether or not it was real he couldn't say though and he knew she was dangerous. Ran was still taken by surprise when she suddenly burst into action, yanked a drawer open and aimed a gun at him. But she was just as taken aback when he smiled at her.

"Don't you know that bullets can't stop me? I won't die until I've smiled upon your corpse."

"Ran my dear, you're not going to kill me," Manx said with certainty and unclicked the safety. He calmly stood still as she fired the gun and only the impact from the bullet hitting his shoulder caused him to stagger ever so slightly.

"You once told me I had the essence of a cat and I assume that includes the nine lives. That was one bullet and I'm still standing, still breathing. I hope that gun of yours contains enough ammunition to finish me off," Ran said steadily and took two steps towards her. She fired again but only managed to scratch his side. "You're sloppy."

"Shut up you piece of shit!" Her fingers turned white as she gripped the gun harder and took aim once more.

"Look at the way your hand is trembling Manx. Are you sure you can hit me?" Ran steeled himself as she pulled the trigger and only willpower kept him from falling as the third bullet buried itself in his arm. "What are you aiming at?" She was getting frustrated and impatient now, causing her hand to shake even more.

"You shouldn't have such a big mouth there Ran! For years I've had you running errands for Takatori, getting your hands bloody carrying out his orders."

"I'll cut the payment for that from your body later Manx," Ran hissed and came closer, willing his legs not to buckle beneath him. His uninjured arm lashed out and the tip of the katana cut a deep wound in Manx's cheek. "Are you going to scream when I kill you? Persia did." Manx didn't answer but she widened her eyes in fear at the revelation that he had murdered Kritiker's leader.

/&/

"I don't believe it!" a fat guard huffed and slammed a paper down on the desk. "That guy is creepy." The paper was picked up and studied intently by the man sitting behind the desk. He took off his glasses and rubbed the mark they made on his nose.

"It's legit so why don't you go and get it done?" The guard huffed again and pressed the side of his belly against the chair he stood next to.

"It's late, my shift ended five minutes ago. Get someone else to do it or wait until tomorrow!" The superintendent glared balefully at him and waved the paper in his face.

"This document is signed by a judge Taguchi! Do you want to explain to him why his orders weren't carried out? Do you want Nakamura-san to sue your fat ass?"

"Nakamura can go to hell! Damn lawyer always finding loopholes in everything, freeing guilty people left and right."

"It's one slave, who cares? With no owner and this on his record, do you really think he'll make it?" Taguchi smirked and scratched his flabby chins.

"You're right, you're right."

"I know! Besides, Nakamura-san got him off the hook on a technicality, there's still a witness who proclaims him guilty of murdering his owner. All we have to do is wait patiently. Not even Nakamura Akira can find a loophole there!"

"Good! I'll transfer him back to his cell and hopefully he'll be taken care of tomorrow." Taguchi left the room with a snicker.

/&/

Ran raised his hand and made the reflection from the blade of the katana wink as he brought it down hard. His side was on fire, his shoulder pounded with pain but he wasn't about to lose this fight. The satisfaction hit the moment Manx let out a scream, dropped the gun to the floor and started clawing desperately at his arm. Red scratches appeared on his pale skin but his hand still held the katana steadily.

Ran's eyes impassively watched the razor sharp blade where it was biting into the woman's neck. She had stopped using her nails and was simply hanging onto him now, small gasps of air emitting from her mouth, lessening rapidly. Disgusted the redhead shook her off both the sword and his arm and actually winced a little when she landed on the bloodstained floor with a low thud. She gurgled pitifully and groped at the carpet.

"This was Abyssinian's last mission Manx," Ran murmured quietly and carefully sheathed his weapon. "These hands will spill no more blood." Without looking at the dead body he staggered towards the door.

TBC

# Scheiße! = Shit!

# Raus! = Get out!

# Ach, was soll's! = What the hell!

# Oriental = A breed of cats, similar to the Siamese but with long hair on their tails

# Dresden = City in Germany, not far from the Czech boarder


	23. Hiko's Solution

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: Unfortunately only the creepy, yucky guys in this fic are actually mine… deep sigh Someone else owns the cute ones.

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts.

N/A: A very heartfelt Thank You to all you people who are still with this story after almost two years! I hope I haven't disappointed you too much with my writer's block and stuff. /hugs/

Chapter 23. Hiko's Solution

Ken stared stubbornly at the burly guard. The larger man was getting annoyed with him but Ken didn't really give a shit. He had played nice submissive slave since he was thrown into a cell but enough was enough. If this bastard thought the brunette was his to play with he had another thing coming. _Aya loves me_, Ken told himself and his back straightened even more, _I'm not letting you or anyone but Aya touch me!_

It didn't really matter that he was scared half out of his wits because the redhead had said he loved him, needed him, and there was nothing more in life a slave like Ken would ever need. The guard raised his hand and aimed a punch at the much smaller slave's face. His hand never hit since Ken ducked and narrowed his brown eyes.

"Don't touch me!" he growled warningly and crouched down slightly, hands ready to fight back if necessary.

"Well didn't you suddenly get all cocky," the guard huffed and crossed his arms. "You making a final stand before we terminate you?" He laughed and approached the brunette. Ken swallowed. Aya had promised to get him out but that wasn't really up to the redhead and Ken had killed his owner, which automatically ensured execution. There really wasn't much hope for him to get out since he had been transferred to a temporary holding cell, a place one only left to be taken to the execution area.

"Yuuki!" an annoyed voice called from the other end of the corridor and a fat man waddled towards them.

"What is it Taguchi?" the guard snapped, his eyes never leaving Ken. "I'm busy."

"Not anymore you aren't. I'm taking the slave back to his cell," Taguchi huffed; sweat streaming down his chubby face. Yuuki growled in irritation and stepped through the narrow doorway.

"He's already IN his cell, moron!" A fat hand grabbed his uniform and yanked him out into the corridor.

"He's going back downstairs, for now."

"What the hell for? He's case is a slam-dunk. The firing squad is getting ready to fill him with lead," Yuuki hissed and batted the other guard away from him. Ken watched them with interest. Something must have happened, Aya must have found a loophole or something.

"It's that piss ant lawyer, he got a stay of execution through some technicality. But don't worry, slave-boy here is gonna get whacked soon enough." Ken swallowed and prayed that the latter part wasn't true. "Now get out of my way! My shift is over but I can't fucking leave until this asswipe is back downstairs." Yuuki grumbled but moved back and Ken hesitantly stepped outside. His hands were roughly forced behind his back and cuffed and then he was being dragged away.

/&/

Yoji, Omi and Hiko huddled together on the couch and watched Nakamura pace the floor as he spoke.

"They moved Ken this morning," the lawyer muttered."

"Moved him where?" Yoji asked carefully. Omi had a hunch that his lover already knew but that he was putting a last bit of hope in being wrong.

"The cellblock is charmingly called the Dead-end," Nakamura snorted with contempt and tugged at his tie.

"You said there were good news too," Hiko almost whispered, his young face showing his sadness, but also a flash of optimism.

"Aa. I had a conversation with judge Toda earlier today. She happens to be a personal friend of my wife and myself, but more importantly she is a vehement opponent of both slavery and executions. We managed to find a technicality that bought us about 24 hours, or rather bought Ken 24 hours," Nakamura explained. "However, if we can't find something, anything, that states that Ken didn't kill Kase…" He tactfully left the sentence unfinished. Omi blinked back tears and hugged Hiko's body to his.

"How are we supposed to do that? Ken admits that he did kill Kase," the small slave almost whimpered and felt his lover move closer to comfort him. "They have a witness." The room was blanketed with a sad silence for a long time. Omi tried to find a way to save Ken but he was too stunned and miserable to think clearly. Beside him Hiko gritted his teeth quietly, his forehead creased, eyes shadowed in concentration. The boy suddenly jumped to his feet and ran out of the room.

"Should one of us follow him?" Yoji asked slowly. Before anyone could answer Hiko returned with a laptop secured under his arm. He looked almost pained with focus and Omi could have sworn he actually heard the young slave's brain work. The laptop was placed on the table and then Hiko started talking.

"Mom used to say that the easiest solution usually is the right one and that one often don't see the forest for all the trees." His voice trailed off and the three men who watched him looked utterly confused.

"Hiko?" Omi questioned. The boy frowned deeply and gnawed on his bottom lip.

"There's no point in trying to claim that Ken-kun didn't kill that man, there's a witness, but that doesn't really matter," Hiko continued, his voice sounding more like it belonged to an adult than to a young child.

"What are you getting at son?" Nakamura asked softly, his stern face a mask of confusion just like the two blondes'.

"It's simple. All we need to do is prove that Kase didn't own Ken-kun."

"But how?" Yoji wondered, scooting close to the boy.

"Omi-kun and I were trying to find Ken-kun we looked at his files in the slave database, ne?" Omi nodded.

"Yes but…"

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Hiko met Omi's eyes and pursed his lips.

"The auction!" Yoji exclaimed and rose. "No matter how much we looked we couldn't find any records of Ken's sale or his new owner!" Hiko nodded quickly.

"I need to check that that hasn't changed," Nakamura said firmly. Omi immediately started working on the laptop. "I hate to sound so pessimistic but even if Kase isn't registered as Ken's owner they still have the witness. Kitano Tsaki will testify that he bought Ken on Kase's behalf."

"But there's nothing to back him up. Kase's dead, the records show nothing and the people at the auction can only testify that Kitano paid for Ken," Yoji intervened smugly.

"I'm in," Omi mumbled and turned the laptop towards Nakamura.

"We can hope," the lawyer declared. "There are still no records showing that Ken legally belonged to Kase. The three blondes hugged each other but Nakamura was reluctant to take out an early victory. "All is hanging on Kitano Tsaki and what he says."

/&/

Ran ignored another red light and awkwardly shifted gears, hissing in pain. His head was spinning and he moved sluggishly due to blood loss. Fuck, that women had really messed him up good. Annoyed by his slow brain the redhead scowled and tried to think more clearly. Where the hell was he anyway? A part of him also informed him, rather petulantly, that he was ruining very expensive leather upholstery. Ran had a vague urge to snicker at himself.

There he was bleeding to death and the neat freak in him worried about the seat? He was jerked back to reality when a van almost saved him the trouble of actually dying from blood loss. Cursing he moved the Porsche back into the right lane and forced his hazy eyes to search for landmarks. Five minutes later he finally recognized a street that would lead him towards one of Kritiker's doctors. With difficulty Ran drove into the driveway and then used all the strength he had left to stand on his very shaky legs.

"Okay Fujimiya!" he sternly hissed to himself. "No passing out before you're inside." Painfully slow he hobbled towards the door and cursed stairs with all his might. There were only three steps but that was three steps too many at the moment. When he leaned against the wall he was soaked with sweat and he could feel the blood seeping from the bullet wounds. His left arm hung limply at his side and his right shoulder screamed in objection as he raised that arm.

It took a couple of tries for him to actually hit the doorbell and the sound scratched against his exhausted brain. Hours seemed to pass by before the light was turned on and the door opened, revealing a short man with greying hair. Ran pushed away from the wall and promptly collapsed.

/&/

Judge Toda impatiently tapped her nails and glared around the courtroom. Her serious face was turning grim. The white-framed glasses she wore and her black judge outfit made her look like a hostile penguin, further helped by her large, beaklike, nose.

"Suzuki-san is there any hope that Kitano is going to show anytime this century?" she asked sourly and nailed a thin man with her icy eyes. The prosecutor nervously shifted in his seat and glanced towards the large doors.

"I have a man searching for him as we speak Your Honour," Suzuki said meekly and got a snort in reply.

"Ten minutes Suzuki-san, TEN minutes. This is a waste of MY time and I don't appreciate it," she griped with annoyance. A couple of drawn out minutes later the doors opened and a suit clad man entered along with a police officer. They both hurried up to the prosecutor and started talking with him. Suzuki started waving and glared evilly at the two men. Toda watched for a while before she raised her gavel and brought it down with a loud bang, sending everybody three feet into the air. "Suzuki-san!"

"Yes Your Honour," the man squeaked.

"My patience is wearing thin so I urge you not to test it any further and I have a headache which I without shame blame YOU for… Now, is Kitano going to show up?!" Her voice was strained with the effort to hold her anger and irritation in control and Suzuki widen his eyes.

"Ah yes, no, I mean…" His babbling was interrupted by another bang of the Judge's gavel.

"Enough!" she almost roared. "Is Kitano coming or not?" The police officer took pity on the trembling prosecutor and approached the bench.

"Pardon me Your Honour but perhaps I can't explain?" Toda nodded shortly and leaned forward, covering the microphone in front of her with one hand. "Kitano Tsaki was found in a hotel room about two hours ago, dead." Judge Toda glanced at the other lawyer. Nakamura raised an eyebrow, asking what was up since he couldn't hear what was said.

"All right then," she muttered and face the room again, straightening her clothes. "We're here to decide who the rightful owner of slave 179344. It has been stated that said slave murdered his owner, Kouichiro Kase, correct?" She looked at Suzuki who nodded. "So far I have found no evidence of that ownership, or the presumed sale where Kouichiro bought this slave. Does the prosecutor have anything that can prove who slave 179344 rightfully belongs to?"

"Well…" Suzuki said hesitantly. "Kitano Tsaki…"

"May I remind you that Kitano Tsaki is unable to claim anything and therefore not a person I'm interested in hearing about. I'll ask again… Do you have ANYthing that can prove who 179344 rightfully belongs to?!"

"No Your Honour."

"Do you have anything that can prove that 179344 belonged to Kouichiro at the time Kouichiro was murdered?"

"No Your Honour," Suzuki admitted reluctantly.

"Well then. The court finds that ownership of slave 179344 is unknown. The slave is thereby freed and will be put up for auction as soon as possible." Her gavel banged. "Case closed!" With a huff Judge Toda rose and marched out, a triumphant smile curving her thin lips. In the courtroom Nakamura let out a whoosh of air and loosened his tie before he turned around to smile widely at the tall blonde seated behind him.

"I suggest you find your cousin and give him the good news, Kudou-san." Yoji grinned and hurried outside, cell phone ready in his hand.

TBC

I'm VERY proud of myself! I wrote a new chapter without a muse and now Ken is free!! Um well not free but yeah so um eh… See, I always knew working for 8 hours per day was a BAD idea… Ja/Atsureki


	24. Anblaffen

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: Yeah they aren't my so stop bothering me about it /pouts/

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts.

N/A/coughs/ This update took A LOT longer than I planed on but it's here now and that counts for something, right?… RIGHT! On a serious note I've had some health problems and between the exhaustion and trips to the hospital I just haven't gotten around to writing, sorry guys! But enough of this and go read the chapter! HURRY!

Chapter 24. Anblaffen#

Ran growled at himself in his head and struggled harder to reach the surface. Goddamn it how he hated waking up from being unconscious. His eyelids felt like they had been glued shut and he wasn't sure if it was worth the effort of trying to open them. And then there was the disgusting feeling of having a plastic tube shoved down his throat. It was supposed to help him breathe but at the moment it felt more like it was suffocating him slowly. One of his hands jerked impatiently on the cool sheets and all he really wanted was to see and to be able to rip the tube out.

"Abyssinian indeed," a scratchy voice huffed with humor, "you seem to have nine lives, that's for sure. But if I'm not mistaken you've already gone through 20 or so." Old wrinkly hands touched his face, but they didn't remove the tube.

"Your next appointment is here," an unfamiliar voice hollered from far away and Ran managed to crack one eye opened. A sharp stab of light was his only reward and he groaned, or at least tried to.

"That'd be Mrs. Masaki. Stupid old hypochondriac… The woman is over 70 and in perfect health."

"Ugh uhugh!"

"What was that? Oh sorry, here sit up." Ran was helped up and his other eye finally gave in and opened a little too. "Now, what are you mumbling about? Ah, the tube." The old physician chuckled to himself and took a hold of the hated tube. "Cough!" Ran coughed halfheartedly twice and the plastic thing slipped out, then he coughed in earnest as phlegm flooded his abused throat.

"Water," the redhead begged and winced at his hoarse and cracked voice.

"Yes, yes, water." The old man sauntered off and Ran could only hope he'd still remember the water when he got to the tap. Carefully the, now former, assassin relaxed into the soft pillow behind his back and felt for the injuries he had suffered. One side was stiff and the skin stretched taunt, from stitches no doubt, and his right shoulder was throbbing in pain. Ran muttered to himself and blew some air at one of his ear tails.

"Stupid hair," he croaked and raised his left hand to tuck it behind his ear instead. It came as a total shock when nothing happened. Frowning he turned his head and glared accusingly at the limb. It just lay there, doing nothing what so ever.

"Here's your water Abyssinian."

"What did you do to my arm?" He would have sounded so much more menacing if his voice hadn't sounded like he was a boy going through puberty and laryngitis at the same time.

"That shoot really hit the spot kiddo," the doctor grumbled and placed the glass he carried on the table. "Temporary paralyzes, nothing to cry about. You'll have physiotherapy and there's no reason why you shouldn't regain at least 60 percent mobility." Ran blinked. 60 percent mobility?

"Orito-sensei!"

"Coming, coming. You get some more rest Abyssinian." The old man shuffled towards the door but stopped before he left the room. "I almost forgot, is there anyone else you want to contact? A family member or such?" Ran tried to get his head to focus on something else beside the news about his arm.

"Aa, my cousin."

"Good, good, I'll send in Akiko-chan to help you."

/&/

Omi looked up as the door opened and his lover stomped into the room. His green eyes were a conflict of concern and the beginning of anger as he came closer, digging around in his pockets for his smokes.

"Is Aya here?" Yoji asked hopefully and shifted between the two slaves.

"No, we haven't heard a word from him and he doesn't answer his phone," Omi sighed and got up. "I take it he wasn't at his place."

"Nope, my dear cousin seems to have vanished. Fuck! This is like a bad soap opera, as soon as we've fixed one problem another one surfaces!"

"You don't think Aya-kun did something stupid, do you?" Omi asked carefully and his lover glared at him.

"No, I don't THINK Aya did something stupid, I KNOW he did! He's a Fujimiya and a Fujimiya ALWAYS does stupid shit, it's like some fucking hereditary disease with them," Yoji griped with annoyance, but Omi could clearly see the worry in his eyes.

"Yotan…"

"I'm mean Goddamn it! Would it kill him to just stay put for once in his life? If he had stayed here than we could get Ken home and everything would be honky dory, but no! He has to run around playing Batman or some shit and now we can't find him. When he gets back I'm gonna strangle him!"

"Enough!" Omi wrinkled his nose at his own loud voice. "Nothing is going to get better because you get all worked up Yotan." The lanky blonde actually pouted and sat down.

"It's not your fault," Hiko said softly and patted his owner's leg. Yoji snorted sarcastically and shook his head.

"I'm not so sure about that kiddo. Both of you tell me I did my best but this time my best wasn't good enough."

"Bullshit!" Two pair of green eyes stared at Omi. "You didn't cause any of this and you know it!" Yoji was just about to rebut that when the phone rang.

"Moshimoshi Kudou desu?" the tall blonde answered in a growl and listened to the person on the other end for a while. "Where!"

"Do you think someone's found Aya-niisan?" Hiko asked hopefully and his usually so precocious face was for once that of a child.

"I hope so," Omi sighed and tried listening in on his lover's conversation.

"Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw!" Yoji suddenly barked and seconds later the phone shattered against the wall, sending pieces of plastic raining down. "Aya you fucking idiot!"

/&/

Ken observed the tiled room suspiciously, his brown eyes narrowed and his body rigid. Behind him the hustle and bustle tried to press him forward, but the slave wasn't moving an inch. They wanted him to take off his clothes, go into the room where a large guard was waiting and allow that man to clean him. Ken was wavering between being submissive and obedient, like he had been trained, and the determination that no one except Aya was ever going to touch him again. That burly man glaring evilly at him might do something to him if he didn't obey but the brunet knew that there was no guarantee the same things wouldn't happen even if he complied.

"Move it slave!" a sharp voice barked from behind and Ken jumped. Something poked him roughly in the back and he almost fell into the shower room. He bit his lip for a couple of heartbeats and then he made up his mind.

"No," Ken whispered quietly yet firmly, his eyes glued to the threshold.

"What did you just say slave?" the voice growled, alarmingly close to him now.

"No," the slave repeated in the same tone and carefully glanced up. There wasn't even a warning before something hard smashed into his back and sent him to the floor.

"Listen up! Either you go in there and do as you're told or I'll make sure no one ever sees you alive again. This is a transporting business slave boy, we're bound to have some wastage." Ken stumbled back onto his feet. Dying was not an option, nor was not making it to the auction. He shuffled into the tiled room and hurriedly shed his clothes. When the large guard approached him Ken drew a deep breath, defiantly raised his face and put all the strength he could muster into his glare.

"Don't touch me." The hissed words stopped the guard and Ken immediately took another step, placing himself under the hot spray of water. His body was trembling in fear but he refused to give in now. Kase would be the last one who ever laid a hand on him against his will, that was a promise the brunet hade made to himself.

"Well aren't you a cocky little slave?" He recognized the voice from before and glared at the man it belonged to. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to obey?" Ken helplessly heard himself let out a dry laugh. Did this imbecile have any idea what it was like to be a slave? Had he ever been raped because that was someone else's legal right? Anger caused Ken's eyes to darken and he almost snarled at the man staring at him.

"People have tried, yes. My last owner tried too."

"Probably why he sold your worthless ass!"

"No. He didn't sell me, I killed him," Ken spat out and returned to washing his hair, he had been standing there naked for long enough. When the shampoo started running down his face the brunet should have known better than to close his eyes. A strong hand was suddenly wrapped around his neck, squeezing just enough to make breathing a challenge.

"You might be cocky, but you aren't all that clever. I'd watch it if I was you. Those scars and your history are going to lower your price and a cheap slave with so much spunk is just was some people are looking for. Do you catch my drift, slave?" Ken most certainly did and the fight left him, causing his body to sag. "Now, are we going to have any more problems with you?" The brunet shook his head the best he could and felt how the strong fingers slowly released him.

/&/

Ran had the decency to look ashamed when his cousin and his two slaves barged into the small room. Yoji's eyes were alit with fury, a sure sign that he wasn't really angry but upset because he had been scared and worried.

"Asshole!" the tall blond barked as a greeting and Ran sighed. He couldn't explain to them what he had done so he opted for keeping his mouth shut and look pitiful, which in his current state wasn't all that difficult.

"Yotan," Omi muttered tiredly and smacked his lover's side. "Can't you see he's hurt?"

"He's lucky he is hurt or I'd kick his ass," Yoji promised and glared. "Next time you try to get yourself killed do you mind giving me a call first?"

"I'm sorry," Ran mumbled and blinked in surprise as the mattress dipped slightly.

"You're gonna be all right, ne?" Hiko asked quietly and pressed his small body against the redhead's.

"Pretty much." A deep sigh was heard from the boy and he seemed completely contended with where he was.

"Enough of this… I hope they're gonna release you soon because Ken's auction is tomorrow and I'm not going to be the one telling him you got your ass shot to shit… AGAIN!" Yoji snapped and got another smack from his lover.

"Put a sock in it," the petit slave growled, his whole body showing that he had had enough.

"Fine!"

"Aya-kun?" The redhead lowered his face, lost in thoughts.

"They're keeping me here for now but…" Hesitantly he looked up at his cousin. "Yoji, I'm not buying Ken, I can't." A crash and a bang was Yoji's only response as he pushed a chair across the room and then kicked the door open before he stormed out.

/&/

Omi was using every ounce of willpower to keep himself from bashing his lover's head in, or face, whichever he got to first. The tall blond was huffing around his car, cursing and smoking and being a complete jerk. Behind him Hiko fidgeted, unhappy because he wasn't allowed to stay with Aya and angry with Yoji because he was calling the redhead every unpleasant name he could think of.

"Yoji!" He didn't really expect a reaction and he didn't get one either. Frowning hard the short slave took a deep breath and tried again, louder, and with every bit of annoyance he felt bleeding into his voice. "Kudou shut up!" His lover flinched at the roar.

"What?"

"Get in the car, drive us home and shut the hell up," Omi snapped testily. "You're giving me a headache and you're pissing me off."

"Me?" Yoji's green eyes were wide and confused.

"Yes, you! Hiko in the car." The boy nodded and hurriedly climbed into the backseat. "You of all people should understand exactly why Aya-kun can't buy Ken! But you're so busy with beating yourself up you can't see what's right in front of you," Omi hissed and stalked around to the passenger side. "We're going to the auction tomorrow and you're buying Ken!"

"And then what? Do you remember how it was the last time Ken lived with us? He was miserable, Aya was miserable, everyone was fucking miserable," Yoji objected. "And that moron almost got himself killed and I'm the one pissing you off?" The small blonde took a deep breath and counted to ten.

"Did your brain shrink or something? Forget it, don't answer. Just get in the car and get me home before my head explodes."

"Not until you explain this to me Omi. How can you justify what Aya's about to do to Ken, and after having claimed to love him even! He might be my cousin but at the moment he's being a major asshole!" Yoji gave a startled yelp as a shoe hit him the head. Even though Omi was annoyed, angry and had a serious headache he could help but laugh as his lover glared at the small boy who had already armed himself with his other shoe.

"Stop calling Aya-kun names," Hiko demanded and his green eyes flashed in anger. "He can't buy Ken BECAUSE he loves him, don't you get it? And you should apologize to Aya-kun and to Omi-kun for being mean and stupid," he continued gravely, shaking his small sneaker threateningly the whole time he was talking.

"Yotan, can we please go home now?" The lanky man nodded numbly, picked up Hiko's shoe and got in.

"I'm sorry Omi, I just… I knew he was about to do something stupid and dangerous and I just let him go. He could've died and I let him go!" Omi shook his head slowly and took his lover's hand.

"I know, Yoji, but he's an adult. Aya-kun and Ken-kun will be just fine." Yoji drew a deep breath and nodded before he drove away from the parking lot.

TBC

# Anblaffen means 'to snap at someone'. Um at least I think it does, if my German isn't completely messed up!

I'm already working on the next chapter… I promise/sighs/ Not that THAT means it'll be done soon or anything /grumbles about stupid muses/ Ja/Atsureki


	25. Nushi

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I have a dog called Aja (sort for Ajax) does that make the boys mine /hopeful look/ Didn't think so…

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in _Italic_ are thoughts.

N/A: The title translates to: owner, master, lover, god, which I thought was appropriate.

Chapter 25. Nushi

Ken wasn't picked out for the first group of slaves shown to the floor, he wasn't picked out for the second or the third one either. When he finally was chained to his pole only a handful of buyers bothered to look him over. The brunet kept quiet and allowed the people passing him by to see the scars, bruises and cuts, knowing that it would keep the price down. Besides, he was in no shape to do much of anything. The burly guard and the sadistic man with the baton at the shipping company had really done a number on him.

Ken was used to it though and at the moment he simply didn't give a flying fuck if he looked like death warmed over. Soon they would march him up to the floor and then it wouldn't be long before he could see Aya again. The brunet leaned against the pole, trying to keep some weight off of his left leg and closed his eyes. He was in desperate need of some sleep and he wouldn't say no to a couple of painkillers, but even more so he needed to see Aya.

"305 to the floor!" Someone unchained him from the pole and more or less dragged him towards the sales floor. Ken limped along unenthusiastically and didn't even make an effort to scan the buyers, he trusted Aya to place the highest bid.

The bids were low and slow and in the end he went for a fraction of what he had the last time. Ken almost smiled, glad that he had saved Aya some money. He was lead to the pick up area and impatiently waited, looking around to spot crimson hair. What he found was a small blonde slave who practically launched himself at Ken. It was pure luck that kept them on their feet.

"Ken-kun! Finally, I thought we'd never get here," Omi chirped and then his face became serious. "What did they do to you? Just who the hell…"

"You can ask questions later," a voice interrupted and Yoji smiled as he gently removed his lover from the battered slave. "Let's blow this joint." Ken looked around and frowned.

"Aya?" he asked quietly and ran his eyes over the bustle of the people again. Yoji scowled at the floor and his hands clenched into fists.

"My dear cousin sends his regards and…"

"Yotan!" Omi snapped and gave his lover a glare that clearly told him to shut up. "Ken-kun, Aya-kun got into a little pickle. He's with a doctor." The small blond led them towards the exit as he spoke.

"Omi," Ken said quietly but firmly, "don't lie to me, please. I need to hear the truth."

"I will tell you everything Ken-kun, but first you need to wash up, get some clothes on and eat something. Then you need to see a doctor and Aya, all right?" Brown eyes searched blue for a long time, trying to decide if what had been said was the truth. It appeared that Ken found it to be so because he nodded and followed the two blonds to their car.

/&/

Omi had hoped that a shower and clean, real, clothes would make Ken look better but the truth was that with all the bruises it didn't make much of a difference. The brunet hadn't said a word since they left the auction but his posture showed how exhausted he was and that he was keeping himself upright by sheer willpower. Yoji arranged for a doctor to check up on the beaten slave and made sure that they were never left alone.

While Ken got dressed again Omi attached his tag to the new thin collar and threw away the stiff leather collar they had given the brunet at the auction. Ken didn't break his silence when the collar was put on him but his eyes couldn't hide his disappointment at the name stamped on his tag. Omi sighed heavily. He had hoped that Ken would've understood the reason for Aya's refusal to be registered as his owner; apparently the brown haired slave didn't see it that way. But then again, Ken had been a slave for a long time and Omi didn't think that he shared Aya's view on the whole owner situation.

"Okay, so there's a million different pills you have to take for 10 days and some disgusting ointment that goes on your leg," Yoji announced as he entered the room. "Now is everyone ready?"

"Aya?" Ken inquired quietly.

"Yes, let's go see my dear cousin, shall we?"

/&/

Ran had never had any problems with waiting before; his disposition had always been calm and patient. But the wait for his cousin and the two slaves was slowly driving him up the wall. The only reason he wasn't fidgeting was the boy who slept next to him and if they didn't hurry up even that wasn't going to stop him. He was occupying himself with glaring at the door, almost as if he expected them to materialize there because he willed it so. His will was obviously not up to par though because so far no one and nothing had appeared.

Ran grumbled a little and 'entertained' himself by trying to force his stupid arm to move like he wanted it to. The uncooperative limb twitched but other than that the only thing he got for his efforts was a headache. When he was healed enough he would be put through therapy and with a little help from some higher power he'd be able to tie his shoelaces again. A flash of self-contempt lit his eyes.

He hadn't been brave enough to ask Orito exactly what 60 per cent mobility included, or excluded. Hopefully it was enough to allow him to wipe his own ass if not much more. A sarcastic laughter escaped the redhead and caused the boy next to him to stir slightly. Ran gently petted the boy's hair and Hiko settled down again.

As for work there wasn't much he could do until his arm was better and even then the prospects of him getting a job were slim. It wasn't because Ran lacked talent or that he didn't have experience but rather that he wouldn't be able to dig up the pretence of actually wanting a job. Money wasn't going to be a problem, probably never since killing bad people paid well, he had enough hobbies to keep himself busy and he wasn't sure he would ever find anything that could make him leave Ken for hours at a time.

Frowning slightly as he pursed his lips Ran thought about the brunet. There was nothing in the world that he wanted more than for everything to be all right now, but Ran wasn't an idiot. Ken would need time and care to heal emotionally and even though the redhead was a patient and, more often that not, a cold man he wouldn't be able to stand to watch Ken suffer for very long, a second or two at the most. How on earth was he supposed to support and nurture someone while his own damn heart wanted to run for cover?

/&/

Ken had been fidgeting with impatience all the way during the drive to the little private clinic where Aya was, but now, with just a door between them, he hesitated. He was afraid of finding out just how badly the redhead was hurt and the fact that he no longer belonged to the taller man made him feel timid. It might seem strange to a free man but Ken had spent too much time being owned to remember anything else.

When confronted with an owner the brunet knew exactly what was expected of him, even with Aya who was so different from the others, but now he didn't have a clue of what Aya was to him. Trembling with insecurity he finally managed to raise his hand and push the door open. The redhead was staring at the ceiling, his eyes thoughtful and his lips pursed in a way Ken thought was a little sad. Hiko was fast asleep, curled up against the tall man's side.

Just who did Aya want him to be and act like now? And why had the redhead refused to buy him? WHY? Ken observed the man he wanted to be owned by with incomprehension hammering away at his fragile soul. Not knowing how he was supposed to approach he simply snuck into the room and submissively kneeled by the bed, patiently waiting for an order, any order, to lessen the chaos in his head. He needed Aya to take the rains on this because he had no idea where they were headed and his biggest fear, second only to losing the redhead completely, was failing him.

"Ken?" That deep voice, always so soft and loving, made Ken bow deeper, his forehead almost touching the floor.

"I…" the brunet tried hesitantly not looking at his former owner. "I'm sorry." He didn't like the way his voice trembled but he was afraid and felt so helpless.

"Ken, please get up." The slave obeyed, even though his head screamed that he shouldn't because Aya was not his master. "What are you sorry for?" The redhead reached out his hand and Ken couldn't resist taking it, hugging it tightly to his chest.

"I'm sorry for… for… for whatever it is that I have done to offend you," Ken blurted out, his words barely audible. "Please, punish me some other way, please Aya. I'll be good, I promise, just don't send me way." The small white room became quiet and Ken fidget nervously. When the redhead didn't reply he looked up and met his former owner's sad eyes.

"You think I'm punishing you? Ken I'd never do that, you know I wouldn't." Aya pulled him closer, made him lean against the bed and hugged him with one arm, his breath warm as it fanned across Ken's cheek. "But I will never be your owner again, do you understand?"

The brunet didn't answer because he wasn't sure he understood anything except that he wasn't going to be living with Aya, that the effortless action of making himself the owner of one little slave was more that Aya was prepared to do for him. Ken bit his lip so hard he got the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. And since Aya wasn't one to shy away from going the distance his reluctance was because he no longer wanted to tie himself to a slave...

"I understand," the slave whispered and backed away, hot tears demanding to be let out. A warm soft hand cupped his face and he was forced to look straight into bottomless amethyst eyes scarred by old sorrow and pain.

"No, you don't understand," Aya murmured and wiped away a tear that had managed to escape onto the brunet's eyelashes. "I love you Ken and if I was your owner you would do everything and anything I asked you to, right?" Ken frowned in confusion.

"Of course!"

"Ken I don't want you to do what I want, I want you to do what YOU want because YOU want to do it. If you're going to be with me, live with me it's going to have to be because it's what YOU want. All you have to do is say and do that, no one is going to be angry with you or punish you in any way shape or form."

"But I… I belong to Yoji, I can't…" Ken objected fretfully and his body automatically cowered.

"No Ken!" Aya's voice was hard and sharp and his thin eyebrows were knitted together. "You know Yoji would never keep you from doing whatever you want and this is exactly what I'm talking about. I can't be with you if you can't say no to me." The slave glared at his shoes, frustrated because Aya didn't seem to comprehend where Ken was coming from at all.

"I don't want to say no to you," Ken growled softly, the unsteady flicker of stubborn determination burning a little brighter inside. "I don't want to not do everything and anything you ask of me. I don't want to live with Yoji and I don't want you to feel sorry for the way I am," he continued persistently, a hint of harshness in his voice.

"Ken I don't…"

"You can't change that I'm a slave, you can't undo what the others did to me," the brunet interrupted and reached for the taller man's hand. "I'll try to do better, but you can't order me to stop being who and what I am. I LOVE you Aya and don't for a second think that my feelings aren't real just because I might not be able to object to being put on a leash and paraded around Tokyo like a dog."

"I would never do that!" Aya growled and held the smaller man a little tighter.

"I know and I know that you'd never hit me for doing something wrong or simply because you needed to take out your anger on something. And you would never allow strangers to rape me in some seedy club just because it would hurt and humiliate me. Intentionally you'd never force me to do anything. It would be your legal right though, in the eyes of the law you wouldn't be doing anything wrong, most people would probably even consent to it. But you wouldn't do that to me. I love you and I NEED to belong to you. So, buy me back from Yoji," the slave requested, not a trace of begging anywhere.

"But I…" Aya gave him a bewildered look and Ken smiled softly at him.

"I trust you and I love you, those things matter to you, right?" The redhead nodded. "You love me and you need me, right?" Ken watched as Aya nodded again. "Those things matter to me. I have to be owned by someone and I pick you to be that someone, please don't argue with me Aya." For a moment Aya looked like he was going to object yet again but then he sighed and pulled the slave to him, burying his face in Ken's neck.

"If you're sure this is what YOU want, I'll talk to Yoji," the redhead murmured and brushed his lips against the slave's.

"It is. When are you coming home?"

"In two days." Over Aya's shoulder Ken met Hiko's green eyes and the child smiled brightly at him.

"Are you going to stay with us until then?" the boy asked and ruffled his hair even more than sleep had managed.

"I'm sure Yoji won't mind and Omi would love to have you." Ken extracted himself from his soon to be owner and frowned thoughtfully.

"I'd rather go home," he admitted after a few moments of silence. "I've been away long enough as it is." It was true that he had but he also needed to be where he was sure Aya would return. Besides, the way Yoji and Omi acted together only made him miss the redhead more.

"We'll swing by my cousin's place on the way back," Yoji suddenly said from the doorway. "I'll fix the registration too, no point in waiting, right Ken?" The brunet grinned shyly at the tall blond.

"I've waited long enough," he agreed and snuggled back into Aya's arms.

TBC

I have to admit that it is tempting to just leave it like this and say it's done and over with but… I'm suffering from separation anxiety /rolls eyes/ Ja/Atsureki


	26. Feel

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: I own them… NOT!

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi, Lemon, OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts.

N/A: Yeah um so it's been like forever since I updated anything here. But if there's still anyone reading this is the final chapter of this fic. Believe it or not I actually started writing this chapter in November 2006! - Now that's what I call a writer's block! Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 26. Feel

_"You teach me how to feel  
It feels all right  
There's nothing left to fear  
Finding myself  
The further I go  
Towards you"_

-Feel, Darren Hayes-

Ken watched silently as Aya went through his work out. The redhead's arm was giving him a hard time and frustration was starting to take over. During the past six months Ken had tried to adapt to the new rules and he had worked so hard to not show his submissiveness.

It was difficult though, even more so than he had anticipated. He knew Aya wouldn't punish him, he had managed to stop cowering all the time, but he just couldn't make his body and brain understand nor could he uncover the forgotten knowledge of how to act like a human being.

Ken sighed and played with his collar. What was going to happen to their relationship if he couldn't change? The brunet swallowed down the fear and dryly reminded himself that so far nothing had happened anyway. Sure they slept in the same bed, tangled up together, but Aya hadn't touched him in any way that Ken would describe as sexual.

One part of him was really disappointed, another relieved because he wasn't sure how he would react. So many years of abuse had scarred his soul and even though he loved the quiet man more than he sometimes could comprehend, he was afraid of sex. He was terrified that it would still hurt, or what if his body betrayed him the same way his brain had in the past when it couldn't respond to Aya's actions?

"I can hear your thoughts all the way over here," the redhead's deep voice interrupted and Ken startled. Aya took a seat next to him on the couch and lovingly stroke away a couple of strands of brown hair. "What thoughts give you such a sad expression?" Ken blushed and stared at the floor.

"Nothing really," he mumbled. The redhead snorted softly and cupped the slave's chin.

"If you want to talk about it you know I'll listen, right?" Ken nodded and carefully met the taller man's eyes. He could see love, care and something else he had to admit looked a lot like desire. Slightly hesitant he leaned closer and brushed his lips over Aya's. The kiss that followed was soft and chaste.

Ken frowned when they broke apart. Not even the kisses were sexual, but rather comforting in the same way a hug was. Not that he didn't want that of course, it was just that he wanted sexual too. A soft finger wiped away the frown and he found Aya watching him with concern.

"I…" Ken shut his mouth and sighed deeply. He just didn't know how to approach the subject; it just seemed so embarrassing and awkward. "I'll start dinner," he finally muttered and more or less fled to the kitchen.

All those times he had been subjected to sex, even the few times when it had been done without the sole intention of hurting and humiliating him, Ken had never really responded to it. And wouldn't it just be perfect if Aya got nothing back? If Aya understood that not only didn't Ken participate but that he didn't even enjoy it.

Well he did know how to satisfy someone sexually, didn't he? Ken's lips twisted into an ugly smile. Previous owners had made sure he was more than skilled in that department so at least Aya wouldn't suffer due to Ken's ineptitude. Maybe that was it? If he just could show the redhead that he was more than willing to satisfy the redhead then Aya wouldn't be so focused on returning the favor?

* * *

Ran didn't know what to do and even with the best of intentions in his head his body had other ideas. The hands that touched him, the mouth that was determined to descend on his involuntary erection felt so good. But none of that mattered because the redhead's heart ached at what he saw in Ken's eyes; or rather what wasn't there to see. This had nothing to do with love; this was just a slave pleasing his master.

A flicker of apprehension and distaste on the brunet's face made Ran's heart twist so painfully that he had to push Ken away. Caught by surprise Ken lost his balance and landed on the floor with a yip. The room was still for several moments before the slave hesitantly climbed on to the bed again. He scooted closer and Ran reacted instinctively.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped coldly and practically felt how his glare iced over. Ken's actions had hurt him too deeply and Ran's mind took it upon itself to protect him. Stiffly he left the bed, pulled on some clothes and all but ran from the apartment. Two blocks passed by as he ran, pumping his legs in time with his heartbeats.

He couldn't do this, he wouldn't do this. If all he wanted was someone to fuck he most certainly wouldn't have picked Ken, who he loved so much. Running away, pushing Ken away was wrong on so many levels but it had seemed like the only option at the time. And now the vulnerable slave was sitting at home in God only knew what shape.

Taking a deep breath Ran made a 180 and hurried back to the apartment. He had to fix this immediately and he had to make Ken understand. But when he returned to their bedroom and saw his lover, no this wasn't his lover... this was his slave, kneeling in submission on the drafty floor anger and despair exploded in the redhead's chest.

* * *

All the progress he had made lately was ruined and Ken had done what he had been fighting against for months. Cowering in horror and confusion he had kneeled on the carpet. He wanted to cry, to scream in despair from the way Aya had sounded and looked.

"He doesn't want me," Ken whimpered to himself, "he really doesn't want me." Somewhere along the way he must have misunderstood Aya and his intentions and feelings. '_Don't touch me!_' The words felt like they cut straight through his skin. Ken shivered at the memory and from the draft. There was no way he was moving until ordered; he would never do anything again unless Aya ordered it. Because being an obedient little slave was all he knew how to do and Ken had been a fool to ever think otherwise.

"We really are quite the pair, aren't we?" a sharp voice suddenly said and Ken flinched before he bowed lower. "I do want YOU Ken, but that before wasn't you, was it?" Anger had crept into the words and the brunet hoped that whatever Aya decided to do to him would mean he was forgiven. "How dare you think that THAT was what I want?" He was snarling now.

"I'm sorry Master," Ken whispered tightly, almost snappishly, because suddenly, somehow, he felt affronted. All he had done was the best he knew how to and what about what Aya had done to him? This wasn't fair!

"If you're waiting for an order you can just forget it Ken! I will NOT regress to being your owner, and until you get that I'd appreciate if you would refrain from touching me!" With those cutting statements Aya stalked away and to his surprise Ken was up and following him before he could consider it.

"I'm sorry if my emotional trauma is upsetting you," he groused venomously, ordering himself not to flinch at his insubordinate behavior. "You sure seemed to want it! How about you just tell me next time, huh? I have excellent hearing you know!" He actually felt a hint of satisfaction when Aya flinched. "So yeah, excuse me for breathing! I was only trying to satisfy you so you wouldn't notice if... if..." Ken ran out of steam and the flash of anger turned to misery.

"So I wouldn't notice what?" The brunet willed himself to not kneel again and forced his eyes to meet Aya's.

"That I can't... That... I won't like it even if it is you," Ken managed to whisper. He wanted Aya to touch him, to show him that he still wanted him. But Aya's back had stiffened and his amethyst gaze was like cold steel.

"And you thought that I wouldn't care as long as you got me off?" The redhead's voice should have mimicked his posture but instead it was soft and sad. Ken squirmed slightly because when put like that it sounded utterly ridicules.

"I... Um... I..." A sigh escaped him when arms suddenly gathered him close to a warm firm chest. Aya buried his nose in his hair and they just stood there.

"Ken," the redhead murmured into his ear, "I'm sorry I pushed you away and snapped at you. But it hurt Ken; it hurt so much to see that look on your face. If you don't like it we won't do it but I hope you'll let me try. It can be amazing without hurting."

* * *

It took time to repair the damage they had done to each other Ken thought as his eyes followed a sliver of light along Aya's naked body. The redhead had hurt him by pushing him away but he wasn't the only one who had been hurt. Aya's eyes had showed him the extent of the pain Ken had inflicted with his attempt to skirt around the issue of sex.

Sighing quietly he contemplated the scars on Aya's pale back. There were long ones with jagged edges, round ones, thin straight ones. What kind of life had his lover been leading to get so many scars? The brunet had his fair share of scars too. Kase's flogging would forever be branding his skin.

Content to just be lying next to this mysterious man Ken drew in the scent he knew was Aya's. Spicy, warm and safe, that was what Aya smelled like. He pressed his nose against the pale skin and a satisfied sound escaped the sleeping redhead. Could Aya have been telling the truth before? Was it really possible for sex to be pleasurable for both parties? Ken wasn't sure but he was willing to let Aya try.

And despite the wounds they had both received during their spat it hadn't escaped the brunet that he had actually participated in a quarrel and that he had, eventually, snapped back. That was progress! Smiling softly the slave kissed one smooth shoulder and heard the change in Aya's breathing, indicating that he was waking up.

"Good morning," he said softly and smiled when Aya blinked owlishly at him.

"Mm morning." The redhead pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him. Long slender fingers traced Ken's side and came to rest on his hip.

"I um... I really want to... to try," Ken stammered with a blush. "I'm just... scared." Aya observed him with tenderness in his eyes.

"I love you, I would never hurt you."

* * *

Ran had firmly pushed away any hesitations about what they were about to do and made himself calm. The brunet was staring at him with wide eyes but even though they held fear, there was also a fair amount of expectation. He smiled and sought out Ken's lips, happy that the latter responded eagerly. While their mouths moved Ran's hand began to travel, touching and mapping out the smaller man's trembling body.

Ken really was beautiful, his skin so soft even though it was marred by scars. When the kiss broke he moved his mouth to the brunet's throat and lavished it with kisses, licks and nips. A moan escaped Ken and Ran smiled before he continued. Ken smelled like sunshine and grass and tasted so good. His lips brushed against a nipple and another moan, louder that time, was his reward.

"Aya, that's... that feels... so good." Ran flickered his tongue over the hardened nub and Ken shuddered with pleasure. He spent a long, long time worshipping every inch of flesh he could reach, except the one place where he knew Ken wanted it the most. This was not about getting off; this was about feeling good and trusting. One slender finger traced the inside of the brunet's thigh and his legs fell apart, invitingly, unconsciously.

Ran had drawn up rules in his head, determined to avoid anything that could bring back bad memories. He would not pin Ken down or hover over him. And under no circumstances would he have Ken on his hands and knees or even face down. Sliding himself in between the brunet's legs he settled down on his belly and buried his face in Ken's groin.

The musky smell wrecked havoc on his tightly held libido. Ken let out a startled meep, clearly not used to that kind of stimuli. Ran thought it was absolutely atrocious that people had demanded the brunet to pleasure them and never once offered to return the favor. Rough sex was one thing and at times even damn enjoyable. But to use sex as a way to physically hurt someone and degrade them, Ran would never understand how anyone could do that.

Pushing the angering thoughts away the redhead placed a kiss on the tip of Ken's erection before he allowed the entire length to slide into his mouth. A strangled moan escaped Ken and Ran couldn't help but think that even though he had been subjected to so much sexually the brunet was still a virgin.

"Aya," the smaller man whimpered and grappled helplessly at the sheets. Without stopping Ran reached for Ken's hands and firmly placed them on his head, encouraging fingers to bury themselves in his hair. Little by little he could feel the shift as Ken stopped just receiving and started taking.

His hands were gentle but they were guiding the redhead's movements, setting the pace he wanted. When he was sure the brunet couldn't take much more Ran stopped, maneuvered a pillow underneath Ken's hips and dipped two fingers into an already opened jar standing precariously on the mattress.

"All you have to do is say stop," he murmured and placed a soft kiss on Ken's inner thigh. "If you don't like it or if it's uncomfortable, just tell me and I will stop." Ken nodded, his breaths coming fast and Ran knew that it wasn't just from excitement.

Kneeling between the brunet's legs he once again put his mouth on Ken's erection and sucked lightly. He was in no hurry and he knew Ken needed a few moments to calm down. His eyes never left the heavy lidded brown orbs that watched him and it wasn't until he saw the slight shift as the brunet relaxed that he moved forward.

Carefully, gently he traced a path between Ken's buttocks making sure to not react at the small flinch when he reached the creased entrance he was looking for. He touched it, caressed it and didn't apply any pressure until Ken's muscles gave in and went limp. Humming softly he worked one finger inside with care, mindful of the smaller man's responses. There was no sign of pain so he felt comfortable to continue.

Slowly the finger moved in and out, ghosting over Ken's prostrate as soon as he found it. Moans, gasps and unintelligent words were pouring from the brunet's lips, his eyes closed in pleasure. A second finger gently joined the first and for a moment Ken tensed. But the assault on his erection quickly overrode any hesitation and Ken was soon spreading his legs further apart, begging for more.

Ran carefully freed his fingers and allowed the brunet to slip out of his mouth. He was not about to instigate any more penetration and he knew that that would be to take it too far. Instead he coated his hand with lubrication and worked it all over Ken's erection.

"Aya?" the brunet questions with confusion when Ran slowly straddled his hips.

"It's okay," the redhead smiled softly and moaned when he slipped his fingers inside of himself. "I need you." Ken blinked and he was about to protest when Ran gently but firmly guided the brunet's slick hardness inside of him.

* * *

The tightness was unbelievable. Ken moaned loudly and his back arched up from the mattress. Aya was... He was... Panting he stared, not quite able to grasp what was happening. He was inside Aya, his erection completely buried in a hot tightness that he had never experienced before. And Aya seemed to enjoy it. The taller man had thrown back his head with a groan, his mouth hanging open in pleasure. Wide brown eyes stared.

Ken had never seen anything so beautiful. Aya's pale skin flushed, a thin sheen of sweat making it glisten, strands of crimson hair glued to his face. His legs tightened around Ken's hips and then the redhead moved. He rose and fell; allowing Ken's hardness to slide in and out and never once did his face show anything but bliss and lust.

"You feel so good," the redhead purred and his hand sought the other man's. "Thrust." Ken managed to comply and was rewarded with a deep moan. The sight and the feel were magnificent. They were having sex and Ken liked it! Almost overwhelmed with emotions the brunet felt tears escaping his eyes. Blindly freeing one hand he moved it to explore Aya's erection before he was too far gone.

His movements were beginning to become erratic, his brain not quite able to handle anything else beside the pleasure that was stirring faster and faster in his belly. Aya was not fairing much better, his hips jerking frantically and his thighs quivering from the strain. He was becoming tighter and impossibly hot. And then he stopped. Ken let out a strangled objection and tried to thrust, desperate for completion.

"Aya, please... I..." he begged as the redhead prevented his movements. Aya didn't answer; instead he gripped Ken harder with his thighs and in one swift roll reversed their positions. He found himself staring down into hooded amethyst eyes, swimming with love and lust. They were telling him to move, to take control. The brunet carefully pulled back a little and moved forward. It was frightening because Ken knew it could hurt, knew exactly how much pain could be inflicted on someone while they were being penetrated.

"You won't hurt me Ken," Aya said a little breathlessly. "Do it again. Harder, faster, deeper." The brunet looked at him uncertainly. "Please!" The desperation in that one little word urged Ken to at least try. If he saw anything even resembling pain in Aya's eyes he'd stop! It only took a couple of well aimed powerful thrusts to envelope the brunet in a thick blanket of giving and getting pleasure.

His entire being was reduced to him sliding in and out of Aya's tight and willing body. They were actually moving together he noticed hazily, their bodies matching as they copulated. He never wanted it to end, not the pleasure, not the feeling of being connected, not the look of raw sexual want in Aya's eyes. In the end it wasn't his choice. Aya suddenly tightened even more around him and then there was no turning back.

* * *

Ken was as fascinated as he was angry. This was one of the loudest fights they had had so far. Scowling at the familiar icy look in Aya's eyes he decided to emphasize his opinion a little by smacking his hand against the counter.

"Would you stop being so damn pigheaded and just deal with the situation instead? I'm not happy about it either but I really want to go! And you're too fucking proud to be seen in public with your little slave on a leash, is that it?" Ken growled even though he knew that that wasn't the case at all.

"I love you," the redhead snarled, obviously affronted, "and I will not dirty our relationship by parading around with my lover on a fucking leash. It's a soccer match that you can watch at home!" Ken had gotten used to the fights they had every now and then once he understood that it was a normal thing. He had asked Omi if he ever fought with Yoji and the little blonde had just stared at him in disbelief.

A fight between lovers was nothing strange and it did not automatically mean bad things were going to happen. Since Aya was about as stubborn as Ken fights were unavoidable. But they never lasted long and they almost always ended in the same way; with one of them losing their angry frustration rather suddenly. This time it was Ken's turn.

"Aya, I don't care what they think about us. I know you love me and I know I love you, fuck them." The redhead's shoulders slumped. "You don't have to fight so hard to make me feel like an equal to you." Slender arms pulled him close.

"I just…" Aya trailed off and rested his face against Ken's shoulder. "This isn't about them." And suddenly it dawned on Ken what it was about.

"It's all in your head Aya. You have never treated me like they did and I would die of shock if you ever do," he murmured softly. Insecurities were nothing new but he was still kind of stunned every time he was made aware that Aya had them too.

"But I feel like I am when I have to…" Ken tipped Aya's face towards him and kissed him softly.

"I love you and I trust you. A leash won't ever change that." Aya sighed and the brunette knew he was going to give in, he always did.

* * *

Fujimiya Ran shifted in his seat, eyes lazily watching the seven people in front of him. Days like these were his favorites. The park was surprisingly quiet for such a beautiful autumn day, the birds singing in the distance and the laughter of children ringing like bells from the playground. Contented and a little sleepy he caught his lover's eyes and smiled warmly.

He could still remember that morning when he had found Ken kneeling on his floor. It was a blessing that he had decided to keep the man close to him because Ken was the best thing that had ever happened to the redhead.

So much had happened to them, so many things that had almost destroyed everything, but they had made it. Together they had fought for happiness and even with all the struggles, the pain and the scars Ran wouldn't change a thing. Because it was all that that had led them here, to a place he wanted to stay in forever.

"Uncle Ran!" a voice called, pulling him from his memories. Ran looked up and smiled at the woman in her mid-twenties.

"Miyako-chan," he said in greeting and struggled to his feet, reaching for his cane. The woman came closer and hugged him tightly. Her husband waved from where he was standing next to Yoji and Omi.

"How have you been Uncle Ran?" Miyako asked and fondly linked their arms together offering her support even though his left arm was pretty much useless these days.

"Can't complain," he answered playfully as she led him towards the group of people, "especially not when my favorite people are all here."

"Uncle Yoji is not your favorite anything," she grinned up at him. "I can't believe he still pinches my cheek!" Ran snickered and gratefully sat down next to Ken. His lover smiled at him and a slightly shaky hand took his. Across the table Hiko grinned widely at him as he tried to steal prawns from one of the dishes his wife and Miyako was setting out.

"You look tired," Ken said quietly, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Not more than usual," Ran soothed and pressed their joined hands against his cheek. They started eating and the redhead's thoughts drifted again. They often did when there was a lot of talking around him since his hearing wasn't as good as it used to be.

Ken had been with him for a little more than 10 years when slavery was finally made illegal again. It had freed Ken, Omi and Hiko on paper, the only freedom Yoji and Ran hadn't been able to give them. But for Ran and Ken it hadn't really changed anything, no law could ever change what and who Ken was to Ran.

Even now Ken still wore the thin collar with the name tag on. They had had a fight about that but in the end Ran had understood that while that collar was a connection to slavery for him it had a different meaning to Ken. To the former slave it held so many happy memories from their relationship.

He had after all worn in the first time he made love to Ran. It had hung around his neck the first time Ran made love to Ken. The brunette refused to part with it and Ran had, as always, given in when he understood the reason. A chilly wind disturbed his thoughts and he shuddered.

"Are you cold, love?" Brown eyes surrounded by wrinkles watched him and Ran smiled, gently freed his hand and ran them through gray hair.

"A little." Ken immediately covered his legs with a blanket and moved closer.

Ran had never minded that the years passed by, not when Ken was beside him. Now at the ripe age of 78 he was old and content with his life even if his body was stiff and achy with age. He really didn't have anything to complain about. Ken was with him, healthy and as normal as anyone with his past could be. Yoji and Omi were still together and Hiko had a wife and a daughter.

As he rubbed his thumb over his lover's wrinkly hand, clutched in his own, he watch all the people he loved so dearly, who meant so much to him. No, Fujimiya Ran had nothing to complain about at all.

~END~

A/N Um, eh, so it's over… It took me 9 years but it is over. If anyone has stuck by this story until the end, thank you. Love/Atsureki


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